Nathan Sobey top-scored for South East Melbourne as they outlasted Sydney in a 124-117 classic as the NBL‘s two best defensive teams produced the highest-scoring game of the season.
There were 34 lead changes in the finals-like contest at Qudos Bank Arena on Monday night, with Sobey (26 points) the linchpin as the Phoenix (15-7) laid down a marker against their title rivals.
Jordan Hunter (23 points), Angus Glover (18), Owen Foxwell and DJ Mitchell (both 16) also fired for the visitors, while John Brown was outstanding defensively.
Sydney (13-9) fell short despite 30 points from Kendric Davis, who fouled out with 1:39 left, and suffered a huge blow when they lost former MVP Xavier Cooks to an ankle injury before half-time.
Matthew Dellavedova (20 points, five assists) fought hard and Makuach Maluach, who was in the starting line-up beacuse of Bul Kuol’s knee injury, threw down two huge dunks in his 15 points.
SEM dominated the offensive boards (20-8) and shot the ball at 50 per cent from the field, including 17-of-40 triples.
The result ended the Kings’ five-game winning streak at home, while the Phoenix have now won six of their past eight since an overtime loss to Illawarra on December 4.
Sydney held a narrow 35-31 lead after a free-scoring first quarter that set the tone for a shootout, but lost Cooks to a rolled left ankle in the opening seconds of the second period.
Brown and Tim Soares tangled off the ball, leading to a brief scuffle between the teams and a behaviour warning for both, then tension boiled over when Sydney coach Brian Goorjian received a tech foul.
The Kings’ mentor took exception to SEM having an extra man on the floor at the time of an in-bounds pass, with Sobey still walking off as the ball came back into play.
Both sides had work to do defensively at halftime, with Sydney holding a 60-59 advantage on the back of Davis’s 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
Sobey caught fire in the third, leading the Phoenix to a double-figure lead before they turned for home with a 95-92 advantage.
Davis was scoreless in the third period until two late threes kept the Kings in the contest.
It was anyone’s game in the final period until a big plus-one bucket from Sobey, Hunter’s drive to the rack, and Glover’s two free-throws gave the Phoenix a seven-point buffer with 17 seconds left to play.