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ADELAIDE last night took its 2024 record to 5-1, to 6-5 under interim coach Scott Ninnis and to an NBL outside finals chance 10-14 overall when it finally skinned the Taipans, undermanned South East again heroic but going down fighting at home to Perth, Mitch Creek once more leading the way.

But despite the depleted Phoenix's heart and effort, their 15th loss has consigned them to playoff spectators, fans left to lament why even their lesser lights were so dim a week ago when compared to this round's bold over-achieving performances.

In ADELAIDE, the 36ers' initial focus, and the return to the lineup of injured import Jacob Wiley, left no doubt they still were smarting from their meek recent overtime demise to the Taipans in Cairns.

Dejan Vasiljevic's attack at the basket instead of settling for threes - he still released 14 of them in his 25 field goal attempts - showed a clear intent to challenge the Orange's ability to defend the drive. 

Hitting town with an 11-13 win-loss mark, this scalp was an important one for the Snakes but steadily got away from them, despite Isaac Humphries uncharacteristically missing relatively easy (for him) shots around the basket early.

Humphries blocking shots and changing others remained important until he found his shot later to still finish with 10 points but in a very even spread of Sixers scorers.

Vasiljevic leds the way with 28 points, Trey Kell (11), Nick Marshall (9) and 11 members of Ninnis' roster all making shots. He cleared his bench again, but wisely only after the match safely was locked away, the 36ers ahead by as many as 25 points.

Pat Miller could not hit the side of the barn - so much for considering shooting tips from Justin Robinson - until he made a couple in the last quarter to be 2-of-15 overall.

Usually reliable Tahjere McCall was MIA, his six points at 25 per cent and his three turnovers all ugly. In fact five Taipans were credited with three turnovers apiece and when the inevitable result became apparent early in the third, the whingeing and whining at calls was uncharacteristic and self-defeating.

It wasn't uncharacteristic for Bul Kuol, who is stalling his career by constantly arguing any call against him instead of making the necessary playing adjustments. But it was uncharacteristic for Lat Mayen to be bitching over a call he felt Sam Waardenburg should have received.

When you've become so distracted and are blaming the referees but failing to notice how often your team has rushed into offence and run one-pass or no-pass-just heroball offences, you've lost the plot.

And while Cairns was busy imploding, Vasiljevic and Mitch McCarron both left a loose ball they were scampering for to the other guy, before McCarron grabbed it and scored.

He was laughing afterwards and 36ers players laughing and enjoying themselves definitely provided a positive flashback to the early Phil Smyth years at the helm.

The lob for fan favourite Trentyn Flowers to throw down a dunk kept the fans engaged to the finish, Cairns now joining Adelaide on 14 losses but worse, likely to be without Waardenburg for an extended period after he suffered what very much looked another concussion late in the match.

ADELAIDE 36ERS 88 (Vasiljevic 28, Kell 11, Humphries 10; Galloway 8 rebs; Wiley, Marshall, Kell 3 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 71 (Mayen 15, Juol 13, Armstrong 10; Mayen 9 rebs; McCall 7 assts) at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 9,471

STILL missing injured imports Gary Browne and Abdel Nader, plus Matt Kenyon to sit alongside out-for-the-season pair Craig Moller and Alan Williams, South East Melbourne again had to dig deep to cope with incoming and fired-up opponent Perth.

Only hours after the Phoenix rocked Sydney's world on Thursday, Illawarra humbled the Wildcats in Perth, so when they hit the State Basketball Centre, they were in no mood for any sort of repeat performance.

Their 29-17 opening period in which Keanu Pinder and Hyrum Harris were prominent flew them out to a strong early buffer, Bryce Cotton also hitting shots before South East grafted back to 10-11.

Kody Stattmann hit his second 3-pointer and Gorjok Gak's dunk had the fullhouse excited again at what Phoenix's second-stringers could produce. But Harris again and Cotton, who had eight of his 21 points in the first period, reasserted Perth's superiority, Tai Webster jumped in and then Alex Sarr joined the fray.

Sarr, Perth's Next Star, was en route to a career-best 18-point game at a withering 75 per cent. And he supplemented that with a season-best five blocks, chastening every opponent who dared enter the key he patrolled with great fervor.

Unlike the loss to the Hawks, Perth coach John Rillie did not smash the panic button and start wildly changing his rotations. He instead stayed true to what has been working for his team when South East made a dramatic third quarter comeback.

Mitch Creek led the way and Ben Ayre stayed focused for the most part, hitting big shots. Owen Foxwell did his best to curtail Cotton while also adding 10 points, three assists and a steal.

Reuben Te Rangi was conspicuous for his lack of input but coach Mike Kelly again dragged sufficient cameos from his roster to sustain pressure on the Wildcats whenever they threatened to blow the game open.

Having pulled the deficit back to 71-79 in the last quarter, Phoenix challenged Perth and it responded, Pinder and Harris conspiring in an 8-0 run which buffered the lead back to 16.

Creek, then Stattmann with a three and Luke Rosendale also with a triple, showed South East had no intention to go quietly and even when Cotton free throws took the margin back out to 96-79, Phoenix didn't blink.

Ayre's three had the deficit back to 91-101 but time - and greater depth of talent - eventually posted this one in Perth's Win column. But not without another great fight.    

PERTH WILDCATS 103 (Pinder 23, Cotton 21, Sarr 18, H.Harris, T.Webster 11, Usher 10; Pinder 11 rebs; Cotton 8 assts) d SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 91 (Creek 29, Ayre 23, Foxwell 10; Gak 8 rebs; Ayre 8 assts) at State Basketball Centre. Crowd: 3,422