'Best we've played': 36ers first-half blitz put NBL on notice

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Adelaide 36ers coach Trevor Gleeson says his team's dominant first-half, which saw the home side lead Melbourne United by 24 points, was some of the "best basketball we've played" while also admitting they need to be better after letting United back in the game despite a 101-93 victory at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Everything was going right for the 36ers against United, who were coming off a four-game winning streak, with Zylan Cheatham dominating and sharpshooter John Jenkins finding his lethal ability from the perimeter.

But it was Adelaide's defence which was the catalyst for the early form, limiting a star-studded United to just 35 points in the first half.

However, Melbourne fought back in the second half, winning the 20 minutes of basketball 58-42 to give themselves a shot at a miracle comeback before the 36ers made the key plays when it mattered most to earn another big home victory.

"I thought our first half was some of the best basketball we played," Gleeson said in his post-game press conference.

"Our defence was outstanding. We're up and in, high energy, rotating, pressure on the ball and then offensively, we were moving the ball and that's what happens.

"(But then) you get up and it's human instinct that you get up, you kind of relax.

"Now your cuts aren't hard, you're not sitting screens, you take a couple of plays off. Melbourne's got so much talent, they're going to come. So they sped the game up and really pushed the ball in the third quarter.

"That's that's our challenge right now to play four quarters.

"To be a championship team, you've got to play four quarters and you've got to have that go for the throat mentality."

Gleeson also sung the praises of big man Nick Rakocevic, who had the match-up on star United big man Josh Oduro.

"I don't know why you guys don't talk about Nick more often," he said.

"I know his personality and that you guys mightn't like him at all, but he's been producing numbers every single week, like a double-double and no one's even having him in the top five or top 10.

"I think it's really funny how that transpires. He did a great job on Oduro today. Those two guys battled at it and it was a good battle to watch."

The victory also marked the return of 36ers guard Flynn Cameron, who had been out with injury since Adelaide's season opener, also against United. But Gleeson said it would take a while for last season's Most Improved Player to find his form after so long out injured.

United coach Jacob Chance said he was pleased with his team's fight despite the loss.

"Credit to Adelaide, they came out with a lot of intent and e knew that was going to be the case when your head coach's challenging you and press conferences and getting after you and I kind of know how Trev operates internally. So I'm sure he would have challenged those guys," he said in his post-game press conference.

"If you know to bring Flynn back in, who is a good competitor and you see (Kenyon) early the impact he can have and I thought we saw a different Cheatham to what we saw uh probably the first time we were here and um yeah they they came out threw the first punch.

"Then I just loved loved the group we have the calmness we had to get back on the same page and execute.

"We missed opportunities - great open threes, layups, we're constantly preaching to be above the outcome, like we want those to go in, but sometimes they don't.

"Credit to them... (Adelaide) probably got it out to a lead that was well ultimately too hard to come back from, I think 34 at one point, and credit to our guys, man. To get it from was 50 to 19 or whatever it was and get it back to a six or four-point game is pretty impressive in a in a hostile environment."

Cheatham led the way for the 36ers with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while Bryce Cotton had 19 points and 10 assists and Jenkins had 21, including going 4-from-9 from the three-point line.

Cole Anthony had 27 for United but fouled out late in the game.