The Adelaide 36ers defeated the South East Melbourne Phoenix 108-96 in Game 3 of the NBL26 Playoffs Semi-Finals on Tuesday at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. The victory secures Adelaide’s first NBL Championship Series appearance in eight years. Bryce Cotton led the 36ers with 38 points, seven assists, and six rebounds to clinch the 2-1 series victory.
The 36ers advance to face the defending champion Sydney Kings in a three-game Grand Final series, which is scheduled to begin Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Adelaide established an early advantage, extending their lead to 20 points and entering halftime with a 59-45 lead. South East Melbourne rallied in the third quarter, reducing the deficit to eight points. The momentum shifted when Phoenix forward John Brown III received a technical foul. Adelaide capitalized on the sequence with a 12-2 run to secure the victory and put the game out of reach.
Dejan Vasiljevic contributed 27 points for Adelaide, including six three-pointers, after moving into the starting lineup. For South East Melbourne, Ian Clark scored a team-high 32 points off the bench. Nathan Sobey, who scored 41 points for the Phoenix in Game 2, was held to 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting by the Adelaide defense.