ALTHOUGH his Tasmania JackJumpers suffered a defeat at the hands of the SEM Phoenix in the National Basketball League (NBL) action on Saturday night, forward Majok Deng had a career-best night on the offensive end.

The JackJumpers had already clinched a spot in the postseason after the New Zealand Breakers and the Illawarra Hawks suffered losses over the weekend, but were going to face a true test of their postseason aspirations. They came up against the contending Phoenix, setting up a blockbuster clash between two sides that had already had some tense encounters throughout the 2025/26 season.

The Phoenix were able to get the job done at John Cain Arena, overcoming a hot start from Tasmania offensively given its struggles at times throughout the fixture. The home side was simply able to maintain their offensive production throughout the remainder of the match, while the JackJumpers faded as South East Melbourne emerged 16-point winners.

Although the result did not fall their way, the JackJumpers were extremely well-served by Deng’s efforts on the scoring front, with the forward producing the best performance of his NBL career to keep Tassie in the fight for most of the contest.

South East Melbourne Phoenix (120) def. Tasmania JackJumpers (104)

Majok Deng – 36 points, nine rebounds, three assists

When the Phoenix got off to a blistering start on the offensive end, it was Deng who kept the JackJumpers in the contest with a dominant first-quarter performance. Known as a talented scorer, the NBL champion put Tasmania on his back and keep the visitors in the match despite some scoreboard pressure from their hosts.

He was seemingly unstoppable in the first quarter, putting up 20 points and scoring the ball across all three levels to show exactly what happens when he heats up from the field. Whether it was using his length to finish inside, pull up from mid-range or cash in from behind the arc, Deng was doing it all for Tassie and gave the Jackies a two-point buffer in a high-scoring opening frame.

By half time, the wing had missed just one shot from the field on a near-perfect 8/9 shooting, and although the Phoenix had soared away to take a double-digit lead into the main break, Deng was still a considerable factor in the match.

Despite the Phoenix putting some serious defensive pressure on Deng given his scoring feats in the first term, he was still able to make the most of his opportunities and keep the scoreboard ticking over for Tasmania. His presence of mind to only take good looks from the field ensured the opposition could not run away with the match with fast break points.

Although his JackJumpers fell short of getting a gutsy win in enemy territory, Deng’s performance was a massive highlight for Tasmania, with the team continuing to producing scoring options heading into a postseason without some big names in Will Magnay and Bryce Hamilton.

He ended the match with 36 points on an extremely efficient 11/14 shooting from the field, 4/6 shooting from three-point land and a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line. He has heightened his ceiling ahead of the upcoming play-in tournament and may need to continue this level of aggression on the offensive end if the JackJumpers are going to make a dent in the coming weeks.