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A 51-24 second half rout by Perth last night guaranteed it a semi final berth against Sydney while sending Melbourne into mothballs, Jo Lual-Acuil and Kristian Doolittle combining for 52 points as United's much-vaunted offence left RAC Arena at halftime, never to be seen again.

The knock-out contest started looking exactly as you might expect of a team humiliated earlier in the week by South East Melbourne, hosting another team limping in after escaping a sorely depleted Tasmania.

It was ugh, ugh, ugly as Perth eked out a 22-19 lead after one and any televised footy match was increasingly alluring and inviting.

But in the second quarter, Melbourne gave its fans a glimpse of what had been and what still might be, producing a 34-22 response that had the Wildcats reeling.

Not only was United firing, but Perth was in the midst of sabotaging itself with a complete lack of foul discipline, no constructive or team-together offence, turnovers and ill-temper, threatening its very season. Melbourne led 53-44 at the main break, the Kings no doubt starting work on their planning for a United semi. 

But Wildcats coach John Rillie did an excellent job to focus his men back on task in the interval and Doolittle exploded in the third for 12 points, at times appearing positively unguardable.

Lual-Acuil owned the boards and collected nine points to boot, a 16-5 run in which only Tanner Krebs and Jesse Edwards troubled the scorebench, turning the match around completely.

Suddenly everything that went wrong for United after its withering 9-0 start to the season was brutally exposed yet again - dismal shot selection, role confusion, missed defensive rotations, and a startling inability to get on the same page.

Meanwhile Perth was closing the book, Lual-Acuil finishing with 28 points at 64 per cent, plus 12 boards and four blocks as he terrorised the defensive keyway.

Doolittle did plenty, with 24 points, seven defensive rebounds, six assists, two steals and a third quarter dominance that shattered Melbourne's illusions of finishing top four once more.

Perth's defence to hold United to 10 and 14 points in the third and fourth quarters was exemplary but Melbourne shooting at 33 per cent and 7-of-37 from three also played into that.

Edwards, who missed the elimination final win over Tasmania due to back spasms, joined the team late and his 12 points at 67 per cent and 8 rebounds was a decent contribution under the circumstances. Remarkably, he was United's only player to shoot above 50 per cent.

Shea Ili yet again could not complete the game and must now start wonderiong whether he is missing the message his body seems to be sending him.

Early foul woes for Finn Delany inhibited his game all night, leaving Dean Vickerman searching for someone to defend Doolittle. He might still be looking.

NBL PLAYOFFS 2026

KO Qualifying Final

Perth Wildcats 95 (Lual-Acuil 28, Doolittle 24, Windler 18; Lual-Acuil 12 rebs; Doolittle, Henshall 6 assts) d Melbourne United 77 (Doyle 13, Edwards, Walker 12; Edwards 8 rebs; Delany 3 assts) at RAC Arena. Crowd: 6,731. Wildcats advance to semi finals v Sydney Kings.

Qualifying Final (3v4)

South East Melbourne Phoenix 111 (Sobey 24, Foxwell 18, Clark 16, Glover 12; Brown 8 rebs; Sobey 7 assts) d Perth Wildcats 94 (Doolittle 22, Windler 13, Lual-Acuil, Henshall, Duke 11; Huefner, Lual-Acuil, Doolittle 6 rebs; Windler 7 assts) at John Cain Arena. Crowd: 3,891 Phoenix progress to semi finals v Adelaide 36ers.

Elimination Final (5v6)

Melbourne United 82 (Delany 33, Doyle 19, Krebs 11; Krslovic 7 rebs; Walker, Doyle 6 assts) d Tasmania JackJumpers 68 (Marshall 20, Johnson, Bannan 16, Campbell 12; Deng 9 rebs; Campbell 6 assts) at John Cain Arena. Crowd: 5,071. Melbourne advances to KO final with Perth Wildcats.

Best-of-3 Semi Finals

Tuesday, Game 1 - South East Melbourne at Adelaide 36ers

Wednesday, Game 1 - Perth Wildcats at Sydney Kings