IN ONE of the best games of the season to-date in the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season, the Adelaide 36ers snuck past the Cairns Taipans by four points in overtime, as stars Bryce Cotton and Jack McVeigh duelled in a thrilling affair.

On paper, it was not shaping as a blockbuster matchup, given the contrast in form between the two teams. The Sixers have been one of the stronger teams throughout the season, on the back of recruiting Cotton over the offseason. On the other hand, the Taipans came into the clash on the bottom of the ladder, and this was their second game of the round following Friday’s loss to the Phoenix.

In an absolute thriller at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Sunday afternoon to close out the round, it was the Sixers who held on for a four-point win, with an extra period needed to separate the two teams in a classic.

Adelaide 36ers (105) def. Cairns Taipans (101)

In the first overtime clash of the NBL season, the Sixers hosted a gutsy and valiant Taipans outfit that was using just a seven-man rotation. Everything seemed to be going against Cairns, but the visitors showed plenty of heart, and managed to get the game to an extra period against one of the competition’s heavyweight sides.

It looked as if Adelaide was going to run away with the match, breaking free of a persistent Taipans effort to lead by 10 points at the final change. However, Cairns was able to storm home in the final frame of regulation, and when Marcus Lee split a pair of free throws late in the piece, it tied up the scores, and Cotton could not answer down the other end.

Overtime saw the Taipans briefly hit the lead, but through the star power of Cotton and his cohorts, the Sixers steadied, regaining the scoreboard advantage and showing just a bit more class than the opposition. In the end, the home side were able to hold on for a memorable four-point win in front of their home crowd.

The biggest storyline of the match was the battle between Cotton and McVeigh, which made for magnetic viewing as two of the biggest names in the competition went blow for blow and showed why they are both box office entertainment.

Cotton finished with a whopping 41 points, cementing his place as the MVP favourite and showing just how much his inclusion has changed this Adelaide team. He shot a near-perfect 12/13 from the free throw line, and also added eight assists and four steals, demonstrating exactly why he is the best player in the league and how unstoppable he is on his day.

He had some help from big man Isaac Humphries, who poured in 18 points and 13 rebounds in a towering display from the center, while Zylan Cheatham produced 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

McVeigh could not have done much more to drag his team over the line, reaching a new career-high in the points column with 39 on 15/25 shooting. He also added eight rebounds and seven assists in a truly excellent individual effort that was worthy of a win.

Also impressing for the Taipans was Mojave King, who had 21 points on 8/14 shooting from the field, while Lee had an impactful game of his own in a physical battle with Humphries, ending the match with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists.