COMING up against the championship favourite in the first half of the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season, the SEM Phoenix announced their own title aspirations by defeating Melbourne United in Round 11.

The Phoenix came up against the ladder-leaders at John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon in another instalment of the Throwdown Series, which was shaping as a blockbuster encounter. United had sat atop the standings all season, having started the fixture 10-0, but both sides were coming off losses earlier in the round, which was surprising given the two teams are among the contenders.

In a statement performance, South East Melbourne claimed the biggest scalp possible in the NBL this season, knocking off United by a whopping 25 points in what was a pure showing of dominance, and showied exactly why they can win it all too.

South East Melbourne Phoenix (111) def. Melbourne United (86)

It was the perfect start for the Phoenix at John Cain Arena on Sunday, storming out to a quick lead as tensions rose in a typically feisty matchup. United could not buy a basket, and although they finally steadied their offence, the final minutes of the first quarter belonged to South East Melbourne, who led by 11 points at the opening change to take charge of the match.

The Phoenix continued to put the scoreboard pressure on the championship favourites, extending the buffer out to 13 points on the back of a three-point barrage. United’s big names helped trim the deficit, but South East Melbourne refused to roll over and give the opposition any sort of momentum heading into the second half, leading by 15 at the main break, with the Phoenix’s 60 points the most Melbourne had conceded in a first half all season.

South East Melbourne showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, with Josh King ensuring his players remained switched on after the biggest break of the match. The Phoenix continued to make timely shots from behind the arc, and by the time the margin stretched out to 21 points in the third quarter, it was essentially game over with United simply not having the answers.

The result was quite the blow for United, who ended up coughing up top spot for the first time this season by the end of the day, after the Adelaide 36ers stormed home to defeat the Perth Wildcats in the second match on Sunday.

For the Phoenix, once again Nathan Sobey was the star of the show, showing his offensive mastery with 25 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, despite some heavy defensive attention from the opposition. His efforts to be so productive in the twilight of his career has been a key factor in South East Melbourne’s success this season, and that was on display once again in a huge matchup.

The Phoenix’s imports did what they needed to and stepped up to give Sobey some support, with John Brown III (14 points, six rebounds, five assists), DJ Mitchell (14 points, five mins) and Wes Iwundu (14 points, three rebounds, two assists) all stepping up, as did local guns Angus Glover (14 points) and Jordan Hunter (13 points, 3/5 3PT).

For United, Milton Doyle was one of a number of Melbourne players benched after a disappointing showing earlier in the round, but bounced back well to post a team-high 22 points to go with three boards and five dimes, but could not drag his team to victory.