Adelaide 36ers defeat Melbourne United to open NBL season

The Adelaide 36ers opened the new NBL season with a 97-95 victory over Melbourne United at John Cain Arena. Despite facing significant injury challenges, including the loss of Flynn Cameron to an ankle injury and the absence of Isaac Humphries and John Jenkins III, the 36ers secured the narrow win.

Bryce Cotton led Adelaide with 29 points and seven assists, while Zylan Cheatham contributed 18 points. Melbourne United was led by a standout debut from Cole Anthony, who scored 30 points in 22 minutes after starting on the bench. Other notable performances included 12 points and seven assists from Joe Ingles, marking his first NBL game since 2009.

The game remained highly competitive throughout, with Melbourne's Anthony, Chris Goulding, and Fabijan Krslovic all missing late attempts that could have tied or won the game for United.