FOLLOWING a tough loss to open their 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) semi-final series against the Adelaide 36ers, the SEM Phoenix will be looking to keep their season alive when game two takes place in Melbourne tomorrow night.

The Sixers were far too good against South East Melbourne in game one of the penultimate series in Adelaide on Tuesday night, and are now just one win away from advancing to the Championship Series, where they will be competing for the ultimate prize.

However, the Phoenix have home court advantage at John Cain Arena on Saturday night, and will be looking to bring their signature gritty, hard-working style of play and force a game three back in South Australia.

South East Melbourne Phoenix vs. Adelaide 36ers

Game Two
Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Saturday, March 13 @ 7:30pm

The Phoenix were convincingly bested by the Sixers in game one earlier in the week, and have coughed up a 1-0 series lead to Adelaide, heading into Saturday’s clash with their season on the line in the best of three series.

At their best, South East Melbourne certainly has the scoring power to defeat the Sixers, but made hard work of a lot of its offensive possessions a few days ago. Head Coach Josh King will undoubtedly have his team playing as hard as possible, which has been a staple of their campaign, but they will need to tidy up their offence.

The Phoenix were too reliant on Nathan Sobey on the offensive end on Tuesday, and although he fought through some tough defensive coverage to finish with 23 points, he still ended up being inefficient from the field given how much of the load he had to carry. If the Phoenix are to win on Saturday, he will need some help from fellow guard Ian Clark, who was quiet in game one.

The Sixers were able to take a series lead at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, getting the win in a see-sawing affair to head into Saturday’s game with the chance to advance to the deciding series. Adelaide has won at John Cain Arena this season as well, so the visitors will be confident in their ability to win game two.

Adelaide was able to deliver down the stretch, but the Phoenix were still able to stay in the contest with scoring runs of their own. If the Sixers are to win in enemy territory, they will need to keep South East Melbourne off the offensive glass and interrupt that offensive momentum at John Cain Arena tomorrow night.

The biggest factor in Tuesday’s match was Bryce Cotton, who absolutely erupted for 42 points against the Phoenix, fresh off winning his sixth Most Valuable Player award. If he can continue to be such an offensive presence (which would make sense given how much he dominates the postseason), it will be hard to slow down Adelaide.