Nathan Sobey's game-high tally of 22 points and ice-cool hand from the free-throw line have helped South East Melbourne to a hard-fought 94-89 NBL home win over the Perth Wildcats.
Owen Foxwell (20 points, five assists) and John Brown III (12 points, eight rebounds) also shone as the Phoenix stepped up in a tight finish at John Cain Arena on Sunday.
Next Star Malique Lewis had 11 rebounds, six assists and two points, while Angus Glover added 12 points before succumbing to an ankle injury in the dying stages.
The result meant SEM improved to 6-2 and left Perth level at 5-5.
Phoenix extended their perfect home record to 4-0 despite shooting the ball at less than 40 per cent from the field and 30 per cent from long range.
"The ball's not always going to fall but you can always bring energy, you can always bring hustle and you can always bring the defensive side," SEM coach Josh King said.
"(Brown) is our anchor when it comes to that defensive side of the ball and it means a lot that we can win a game when we don't shoot the ball well."
Kristian Doolittle had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Wildcats, while Jaron Rillie had 16 points and seven assists.
Dylan Windler (15 points, five assists) had some nice moments on return from an ankle injury, while fellow American import David Duke Jr had eight points, two steals and three turnovers in 17 minutes before fouling out on his NBL debut.
"He's going to fit in with our group really well," Perth coach John Rillie said of former NBA guard Duke.
"It certainly felt like he got some of these 'Welcome to the NBL' moments throughout the game but, yeah, I think he'll fit us very well."
Neither team led by more than six points through the first three periods of the entertaining arm-wrestle, and a Brown jumper gave SEM a 75-72 lead entering the final quarter.
The next five points - through a Hunter Maldonado lay-up and a Sobey triple - gave the Phoenix the upper hand, but there was plenty of time left.
Foxwell drained a long-range three to give SEM a nine-point buffer, but Doolittle hit back with the next two buckets to keep it alive.
Sobey made a huge defensive play with a block on Jo Lual-Acuil in the final minute, just seconds before Glover rolled his right ankle and allowed a Rillie three to cut the margin to two points.
Doolittle produced a big block on Sobey's attempted lay-up with the margin at two points.
But a Windler foul on Sobey gave the Phoenix sharpshooter the chance to seal the result, and he did so with a pair of successful free-throws.
Rillie lamented a 16-10 offensive rebound count and 20-13 turnover tally.
"Twenty turnovers is way too much," he said.
"I'd have to watch to re-evaluate, but we were just too loose in some moments.
"Sometimes you just need the simple play instead of exploring and fishing, those types of things.
"Just move the ball and give it a chance."
SEM face Tasmania (away) and Melbourne United (home) in round eight, while Perth face a huge clash with Bryce Cotton's Adelaide 36ers next Sunday.
