ONE of the most impressive teams of the past month in the National Basketball League (NBL) has delivered again, with the Adelaide 36ers handing the SEM Phoenix a 25-point loss at State Basketball Centre on Wednesday night.

Kicking off the first match of Pride Round, it was an important game both teams. The home side has been in the midst of a disappointing bout of form lately. Once in a strong position to compete for a spot in the finals, the Phoenix are now in serious trouble of having their season ended in five rounds’ time.

On the other hand, the 36ers have claimed some big scalps of late, and although they lost in overtime against the Taipans last weekend, have put together a strong patch of form.

However, their disappointing performances earlier in the season meant that the 36ers would need to win on Thursday to keep their season alive.

Despite being on the road, Adelaide was dominant, particularly in the first half, setting up a season-defining win and extending South East Melbourne’s misery even further.

SEM Phoenix (85) def. by Adelaide 36ers (110)

It was as good a start as the 36ers could have asked for at State Basketball Centre, completely getting the jump on the Phoenix and grabbing a commanding lead early.

Adelaide outscored the opposition 34-23 in the first quarter, firing on all cylinders on the offensive end, before backing it up with a dominant 34-17 second term to head into the main break with a 28-point buffer.

In the first half, Adelaide made eight three-pointers on 11 attempts and went a perfect 18/18 from the charity stripe, showing just how hot the team was.

Although the Phoenix made some important adjustments at half time, the damage was already done as Adelaide injected even more life into its season, snagging the 110-85 win to move to eight wins and 14 losses on the season.

On the other hand, it was South East Melbourne’s fourth loss in a row, all of which have come at a hefty margin as the team struggles without star big man Alan Williams.

Having made Adelaide Entertainment Centre a fortress of sorts in recent weeks, it was impressive to see the 36ers get their second road win of the season at State Basketball Centre.

Big man Isaac Humphries was a powerful presence in the paint, finishing the game with 25 points and took advantage of the fact that the Phoenix were missing their star center.

Kyrin Galloway delivered the best showing of his career as well, pouring in 21 points (15 in the first quarter) and going 5/7 from behind the three-point line.

Next up, the 36ers will travel to WIN Entertainment Centre to take on the red-hot Illawarra Hawks in an intriguing battle to say the least, while the Phoenix will look to snap their losing streak when they take on the Breakers.