Melbourne United stormed back in the fourth quarter to get to overtime but in the extra period the Adelaide 36ers overcame three stars fouling out including Bryce Cotton to confirm NBL top spot with the 114-105 victory.
Friday night’s top-of-the-table clash at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre always promised big things, but it looked set to be a fizzer as the 36ers skipped out to an 18-point advantage just before three quarter-time.
Adelaide still held a 10-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, before 36ers big man Nick Rakocevic was ejected for unleashing an elbow/forearm to the head of Finn Delany.
But by that point Melbourne had picked up the momentum from Cotton’s three-pointer with 1:15 left in the third quarter to make it a game high 18-point lead.
Melbourne scored the next 11 points either side of three quarter-time and went on to hit the front when Chris Goulding made a pair of free throws with just under five minutes on the clock.
The scores ended up locked at 95-95 by the end of regulation with a tough three-point play for Melbourne from Finn Delany with 30 seconds to go.
Cotton then had the ball isolated up top with old nemesis Shea Ili, who made his return for United on the same night they were without Tyson Walker.
Cotton wound down the clock and as he went into his move for a potential game winner, Ili picked his pocket and it was United who had the chance at a winner through Milton Doyle but his off balance three was never on target.
The five-time MVP scored a quick seven points in overtime before Cotton fouled out with three minutes remaining.
Adelaide led by just three at that stage, but their depth stood tall from that point on to get the 36ers over the line for the club’s seventh straight victory, improving their record to 14-3 and putting them clear on top of the table.
Second-placed United slipped to a 13-5 record on the back of their third straight loss.
Cotton, who helped his team overcome a 21-point deficit in Sunday’s one-point win over the Wildcats, again starred with 33 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
Flynn Cameron (18 points, eight rebounds), DJ Vasiljevic (14 points) and Isaac Humphries (17 points) were also crucial for Adelaide, while Zylan Cheatham (13 points, nine rebounds) was huge when the game was on the line.
Humphries also fouled out late in the fourth quarter minutes after fellow centre Rakocevic was ejected.
Cotton looked angry as he confronted one of the referees after the match, still in disbelief that he had fouled out for the first time in his 275-game NBL career.
For Melbourne, veteran Chris Goulding came off the bench to score his season-high 24 points with 3/7 three-point shooting.
Delany came up massive for United to finish with 20 points and nine rebounds with Doyle adding 17 points despite shooting 6/22 from the field with the returning Ili ending up with 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Import centre Jesse Edwards also had 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Cotton and Cameron scored seven points apiece in the opening quarter to give Adelaide a 27-22 lead at the first break.
The margin extended to 12 points early in the second, before Doyle got hot with 13 points for the quarter.
The margin oscillated between nine and 15 points, before the scoreboard settled at 59-48 by half-time before Melbourne staged that big fightback to get the game to overtime, where it was the Sixers who rode the emotion of the home crowd to make it seven straight wins.
Melbourne have the short turnaround to hosting the Sydney Kings on Sunday in their first of three straight games at John Cain Arena while the 36ers are next in action also against the Kings this coming Wednesday in Canberra in an Ignite Cup match up.
HUNGRY JACK’S NBL SEASON 2025/26
ADELAIDE 36ERS 114 (Cotton 33, Cameron 18, Humphries 17)
MELBOURNE UNITED 105 (Goulding 24, Delany 20, Doyle 17)
BOX SCORE
