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A 31-PIECE from Milton Doyle and a 30-piece by Dejan Vasiljevic yesterday set up Tasmania and Adelaide respectively for important home wins, the 36ers celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1999 NBL championship by donning those classic uniforms and doing what that team did too - beating a Melbourne-based league-leader. 

In 1999, it was the Sixers icing Victoria Titans for the club's third championship, current coach Scott Ninnis an assistant on that title-winner, having retired as a player after the 1998 championship.

Last night in beating NBL leader Melbourne United, Ninnis not only produced Adelaide's best win of the season but arguably his all-time best win as a 36ers' coach, having previously occupied the role in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

The win topped the last home game of his 2009 season at the helm when club superstar Brett Maher - who this week endorsed his great friend as a quality option to continue in the coaching role beyond this interim season - iced a match against New Zealand Breakers to put the Sixers into the playoffs.

Maher hit a monster three to clinch the match and it was from where (and why) his signature now resides on Adelaide's home court.

A crowd just shy of 10,000 last night roared relentlessly as it watched the 36ers control the win over United from start-to-finish after twice already having extended the league leaders but being unable to finish the job.

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TASMANIA coach Scott Roth had seen enough, barely halfway through the first quarter of his JackJumpers' ultimately comfortable win over Cairns Taipans in Hobart.

His starters were merely trading baskets with the Taipans, Anthony Drmic and Marcus Lee matching it with Tahjere McCall and Sam Mennenga after Cairns led 10-5 and the wrath of Roth was growing.

In steady succession, Lee, Jordon Crawford, Jack McVeigh, Drmic and Milton Doyle found themselves seated - as did "Quick Fouls" Will Magnay, replaced by Fabijan Krslovic - as Sean MacDonald, Jarred Bairstow, Clint Steindl and Lachlan Barker swarmed defensively to change the complexion of the game.

Hustling their tails off, the "skins" brought their fans to life, threes by MacDonald and Barker closing the quarter with Tasmania ahead 29-20.

That quintet pushed the lead out further to 32-22 before the starters steadily returned, lesson learned, and from there the JackJumpers were on their way back into the hunt for a top-two finish.

Doyle found the stroke and focus he has been missing since returning from his father's US funeral and his season-best 31 points at 53 per cent, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block had him back near his best.

Lee added 16 points at 70 per cent and his tag-team inside partner Magnay produced his nine points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting, plus four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 11 minutes.

It was Magnay who put the Jackies 24 ahead into the third period's final 90 seconds at 79-55, leaving Cairns coach Adam Forde to exhort some kind of effort-filled finish at the very least.

He got it, Taran Armstrong with 11 straight points sandwiched between a Bobi Klintman dunk and 3-pointer to revive some Taipans' hope.

Another Klintman triple and Armstrong basket had the deficit at 10, 82-92 and 84-94, but two dunks by Magnay and some Doyle poise in the run home ensured there was no late upset brewing.  

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 103 (Doyle 31, Lee 16, MacDonald 12, Drmic 11; Drmic 8 rebs; Crawford 7 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 86 (McCall 20, Armstrong 18, Klintman 16, Kuol 11; Mennenga 8 rebs; McCall 6 assts) at Mystate Bank Arena. Crowd: 4,340

DEJAN Vasiljevic opened Adelaide's 25th championship anniversary ceelebration against Melbourne United with a massive 15-point first quarter, setting an immediate tone Trey Kell embraced, the import finishing on 24 points at 53 per cent, with 5-of-9 threes, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Leading 27-23 after one, the sense an upset was in the wind already was lightly blowing, the 36ers playing some committed defence while also attacking and penetrating Melbourne's No.1 rated defensive structures.

Adelaide "fan favourite" Chris Goulding steadily finding himself in increasing foul trouble became more of a threat than a weapon, his co-long distance conspirator and 2022-23 36ers replacement import Ian Clark (7 points, 3-of-12) also unable to make a consistent impression on the Sixers' hustling defence.

Struggling to find offensive winners, United luckily again had Tanner Krebs in sizzling form, his team-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, with 4-of-6 threes to accompany six rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block in a super-productive 19:46 of action.

But after leading 46-42 at halftime, the 36ers went into overdrive, utilising centre Isaac Humphries who took on and beat Melbourne's double-trouble bigs Jo Lual-Acuil and Ariel Hukporti, helping himself to 16 points and seven rebounds.

Lual-Acuil was strangely subdued facing Humphries, managing just seven points on a hurried 3-of-13 shooting, though still hauling down 17 boards.

Matthew Dellavedova's 11 points came on 5-of-14 shooting as Ninnis allowed his combinations to settle and took his first gamble by starting Nick Marshall in place of under-achieving Next Star Trentyn Flowers.

It paid off as the 36ers had their best start before a 31-24 third quarter bombardment in which Humphries, Vasiljevic and Kell were keys.

Jacob Wiley, quiet for most of the night despite first-choice Melbourne power forward Luke Travers being out of the game, burst to life late in the third with his customary dunks and vigour.

His fourth quarter 3-pointer gave Adelaide an 88-73 buffer with a few ticks over five minutes left. But United would not be denied, Krebs leading an 8-0 assault that trimmed it back to a contest at 81-88.

Dunks by Hukporti and Krebs meant Melbourne had almost made it all the way back, down just 87-91.

Kell then delivered the decisive 3-pointer dagger for 94-87 with just over a minute remaining, only a series of fouls and free throws left to conclude the Sixers' best win of the season.

Vasiljevic played 30:30 for his 30, delivered at 50 per cent, Ninnis with good reason to be proud of his game-plan and his team's execution of it.

ADELAIDE 36ERS 100 (Vasiljevic 30, Kell 24, Humphries 16, Wiley 12; Kell 10 rebs; Kell 5 assts) d MELBOURNE UNITED 96 (Krebs 23, Goulding 13, Ili 12, Dellavedova 11, Bowen, Hukporti 10; Lual-Acuil 17 rebs; Dellavedova 9 assts) at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 9,564