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NO, it wasn't the greatest comeback win in Adelaide's NBL history, but beating South East Melbourne tonight was definitely top three, Dejan Vasiljevic and a cast of 36ers castaways exposing the Phoenix as championship frauds and the Sixers as serial under-achievers. 

But not tonight at Adelaide Entertainment Centre where turning around an 18-point halftime deficit after giving up a 35-point first quarter easily qualified the win as the 36ers' greatest comeback success at this venue.

Roared on by what turned from a disbelieving crowd into raucous supporting cavalcade, Adelaide outscored the visitors 61-40 after the main interval, Vasiljevic delivering several daggers with a 20-point second half in a match-winning 29-point haul.

Jacob Wiley enjoyed a productive and effervescent game with a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double, Isaac Humphries dominated the paint against foul-hindered Alan Williams to start the third quarter before 36ers coach CJ Bruton, who used nine players in the first seven minutes, turned to Nick Marshall and Kyrin Galloway - that's 10 and 11 if you were counting - and they emphatically responded.

Galloway played the best 5:29 of the season, stroking two big 3-pointers and 2-of-2 FTs for 8 points and three rebounds which helped turn the game.

Marshall played 8:54 and was active and committed, the other big winner for the 36ers being Next Star Trentyn Flowers. He was active, aggressive and brought Wiley-like energy, his 13 points at 63 per cent, with 9 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.

But it was Vasiljevic who tore the heart from South East, playing great defence to force Matt Kenyon into a twist-and-turn travel as Adelaide threatened to do the unthinkable.

It looked anything but possible at halftime when sections of the AEC crowd booed their home team - a first for the 36ers in Adelaide - as they left the court confines, fan patience at an end. 

From their first offence of the game where South East's Craig Moller drove unimpeded to the basket only to be fouled, the 36ers looked dysfunctional and bound for humiliation.

Still down injured import Trey Kell, there was the customary distinct lack of direction or motivation as Mitch Creek, Williams, Will Cummings and Reuben Te Rangi - who was a perfect 4-of-4 for 10 points - ran rampant in a 35-18 first period.

Adelaide showed some spunk to trim the margin but by halftime, it was back to 53-35 and this looked over.

After hearing the jeers, it was a different 36ers team that returned to the hardwood, the Phoenix, after jumping to 55-37, just sufficiently lackadaisical to open a door Humphries barged through.

Then Gary Browne, who was well off his best, had a brain fade and threw what looked like a punch at Tohi Smith-Milner, the resultant penalties further buoying the surging Sixers.

Browne also then became a non-factor, hitting his head in the last quarter while over-selling an offensive foul, subbing out soon after and not returning for further boos.

Adelaide was rolling, trailing by a point at the last break before Wiley tied it up at 70-70 and Flowers stroked a 3-pointer for the lead with 8:09 left.

Williams in foul trouble, SEM coach Mike Kelly forgetting about Te Rangi and Daniel Johnson, Creek quiet and the Phoenix unable to find good shots opened the doors for a rare Wiley triple, threes, drives and free throws by Vasiljevic, big plays by Mitch McCarron and the steady leadership of Jason Cadee driving the 36ers to a magnificent come-from-the-clouds victory.    

ADELAIDE 36ERS 96 (Vasiljevic 29, Wiley 17, Flowers 13, McCarron 12, Humphries 10; Wiley 14 rebs; Cadee 4 assts) d SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 93 (Williams 23, Creek 20, Cummings 16, Te Rangi 11; Williams 11 rebs; Ayre 4 assts) at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 7,833

THE RAC Arena crowd on Thursday dropped below five figures for the first time in years despite Perth winning its fourth straight game and finally against a reasonably competent, full-strength opponent.

The Taipans had Patrick Miller back from injury and Next Star Bobi Klintman briefly engaged but are probably a further round away from being at their clinical best.

They made a real game of this though, Bul Kuol working hard on Bryce Cotton and Lat Mayen continuing his emergence, Tahjere McCall making the kinds of unorthodox plays for which he has become notable.

But the Wildcats had Alex Sarr on song, Tai Webster playing a much more beneficial team game, Kristian Doolittle becoming a subtle but vital contributor, Jesse Wagstaff leading from the front and Hiram Harris showing just what an astute pick-up he was in the off-season.

It only took a few minutes of offensive indifference by Cairns for Perth to grasp the initiative, despite coach John Rillie sending 12 players into the game, with international star Corey Webster the only substitute not required to take off his warm-up top.

Cotton led all scorers with 25 points, whittling in 11-of-11 from the stripe after regularly luring the Taipans into fouling him eight times.

With the lead stretched to 16 points in the last quarter, late baskets, including a dunk from Akoldah Gak made the margin appear more respectable for Cairns.

PERTH WILDCATS 88 (Cotton 25, Sarr, T.Webster 12, Doolittle, Usher 10; Doolittle 8 rebs; Cotton 4 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 80 (McCall 19, Mayen 15, Miller 12, Kuol 10; Armstrong 6 rebs; Miller 6 assts) at RAC Arena. Crowd: 9,976

THE clash at the Silverdome in Launceston had all the makings of a thriller and neither New Zealand nor Tasmania let fans down, a couple of big plays by Breakers guard Izayah Le'afa clinching victory.

Tassie surging back to 84-90 from what had been a 13-point deficit mere moments earlier, Le'afa struck a 3-point bomb which gave New Zealand breathing space from the fast-finishing JackJumpers.

Consecutive baskets from Will Magnay, then Milton Doyle and free throws by Jack McVeigh had Tasmania trailing 92-93 inside the final minute.

The margin back out to two after Parker Jackson-Cartwright made one but aborted a second free throw, the game was on a knife's edge when Doyle missed a shot to tie it.

Anthony Lamb then missed a three and after McVeigh ran down the rebound, he handed it to reliable Jordon Crawford. But in a moment of regret, Crawford threw a crosscourt pass meant for Doyle which Le'afa read perfectly, intercepted and laid up for 96-92 with 11 seconds left.

Lamb had a wonderful game, dominating in the second period when NZ skipped away with a 25-17 quarter, scoring 20 of his 24 points before halftime.

Despite how well Tasmania played the first period, William McDowell-White's long-distance runner to close the quarter gave the Breakers a 31-30 lead.

McDowell-White though was a casualty of the win, expected to miss upto six weeks after suffering a fractured fibula.

On the plus side for Tasmania, Magnay was huge, with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 8-of-8 free throws, 13 rebounds, four blocks and an assist in 16:11 of action.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 97 (Lamb 24, Jackson-Cartwright 22, Le'afa, Delany 11; Lamb 11 rebs; Jackson-Cartwright 3 assts) d TASMANIA JACK JUMPERS 92 (Magnay 20, Doyle 17, Crawford 13, McVeigh 12; Magnay 13 rebs; Doyle 6 assts) at Silverdome, Launceston, Crowd: 3,255