Tyson lands knock out blow in 'play-off' game

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Tyson Walker was just 1-from-20 from deep before he knocked down the shot of the NBL26 season to lift Melbourne United to a dramatic 81-80 win against the Adelaide 36ers at John Cain Arena in Melbourne on October 26, 2025.

"When Milt shot it, I thought it was going in," Walker said.

"Then I saw Jesse flying in the air for it. I stepped in, just in case the ball bounced to me — and it happened to bounce to me.

"So I just figured out where I was at and shot the ball.

"It’s always great to hit a big shot, you know — especially when I was struggling scoring the ball today. So just to see that one go through, it was great.

"Hopefully I get to do it more often."

It was a good ol' fashioned shoot out down the stretch.

• Adelaide led 79–73 after Cheatham’s free throws with 1:47 left.
• Doyle’s three and Edwards’ dunk made it 79–78.
• DJ Vasiljević’s long left-wing triple briefly restored the 36ers’ edge, 80–78.
• After Milt Doyle’s missed contested three, Jesse Ewards tapped the offensive board to Walker, who drilled the go-ahead 3 from the right corner with three seconds remaining.
• Vasiljević’s contested logo buzzer-beater out of a sideline out of bounds missed — sealing Melbourne’s one-point escape.

"DJ hit a massive deep three-ball, and he still got another one off in the last few seconds as well — which he’s capable of making," Walker said.

"But yeah, we put them… even though Milt probably didn’t shoot it the way he wanted to today, he’s a guy we’re putting the ball in his hands.

"So far this year he’s shown his closing ability and he got a good shot off. Jesse was huge all day — I was surprised when I saw 10-for-10.

"You don’t often see that on a box score. And then seeing Isaac 9-for-10 — the centres were pretty efficient for both teams today."

Edwards was simply outstanding, he finished with 25 points in 20 minutes, grabbed seven boards, had a steal and a block.

United stays unbeaten at 9-0 while the 36ers dropped to 5-2.

United head coach Dean Vickerman said: "We had a game plan — obviously no practice — so it was what we could do on video and talk through.

"Part of that was to really get the ball out of Bryce’s hands and let it come to Cheatham a little bit.

"But he was a great decision-maker today — his ability to find Isaac under the rim, to hit some threes as well — that was a challenge for us.

"We had to find different ways to win.

"When we haven’t shot the ball well the last couple of games, getting to the foul line’s been really good for us, along with extra possessions on O-boards. That effort area really won us the game."

36ers centre Isaac Humphries continued his dominant start to the season. Humphries was 9-from-10 from the field for 18 points in just 20 minutes. While Zylan (Cheatham) was just an assist short of a triple double: 21-12-9.

36ers head coach Mike Wells said the top of the table clash was more like a playoff game.

"I thought you saw playoff basketball," Wells said.

"Finals basketball, right? You saw two really good teams kind of figuring it out, throwing a lot of punches at each other — basketball-wise — trying to figure out where the strengths and weaknesses were of both teams.

"I thought you saw some outstanding efforts. I'll start on our guys. Obviously we’ve been trying to figure out our offense still, and it's a growth [area]. I thought Zylan (Cheatham) has played — he's just been so committed to what we're trying to do. He's been all in. It was great to kind of see him have a little bit of success in that.

See, I don't think he plays like (Jesse) Wagstaff. I don't think he plays like anybody else. He's probably more like Draymond (Green) for us, ’cause the 21-12-and-9, he’s one off a triple-double — that's the kind of thing he can do.

"Our offense is much more efficient at times with Isaac Humphries out there. He's been outstanding this year, whether it's with Z or Bryce. We had some very chunky minutes because of foul issues, and we tried to manufacture and do a few things.

"I thought that was kind of even both ways. You know, Jesse Edwards had his way — both centres played about 20 minutes, both centres ended up with 20 points. The pick-and-roll is such a dynamic piece of the game today.

"I just thought there were a lot of really good things for us as a young group, on the road, in this sort of environment. I'm extremely excited about where we're at today and where we're gonna be."

Key Details

• Result: Melbourne United 81 def. Adelaide 36ers 80
• When: 26th of October, 2025
• Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Jesse Edwards (Melbourne United) starred with 25 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block in 19 minutes.
• Zylan Cheatham (Adelaide 36ers) scored 21 points, and had 12 rebounds, nine assists in 29 minutes.

What Happened

Melbourne United overcame a slow start to secure a nail-biting victory against Adelaide 36ers. The visitors led 17-14 after the first quarter, but Melbourne responded with a dominant 26-20 second period to take a 40-37 advantage into halftime. United maintained their momentum in the third, outscoring Adelaide 19-18, before the 36ers mounted a fourth-quarter comeback that fell just short despite winning the final period 25-22.

The contest featured an extraordinary 24 lead changes, with neither team able to establish control. Melbourne's largest advantage reached eight points, while Adelaide held a seven-point lead at their peak. United's 11-0 scoring run proved crucial in establishing the buffer they would ultimately need to secure the victory.

Jesse Edwards delivered a stellar performance for Melbourne with a perfect shooting display, connecting on all 10 field goal attempts for 25 points in just 19 minutes of action. His efficiency was complemented by Finn Delany's 13 points on 85.7 percent shooting (6-from-7) and five rebounds. Chris Goulding added 14 points, including three triples from eight attempts.

For Adelaide, Bryce Cotton led the scoring with 22 points and six assists, though he struggled with six turnovers. Isaac Humphries was outstanding with 18 points on 90 percent shooting (9-from-10), while Zylan Cheatham delivered an all-round effort with 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, falling just short of a triple-double.

The rebounding battle favoured Melbourne (39-35), with United dominating the offensive glass 17-9. This advantage helped offset their lower field goal percentage (40.5 percent compared to Adelaide's 49.2 percent). Both teams struggled from three-point range, with Melbourne shooting 29.1 percent (7-from-24) and Adelaide connecting at 34.7 percent (8-from-23). United's 18-from-24 performance from the charity stripe proved vital in the one-point victory, compared to Adelaide's 10-from-11.