Tyson Walker's clutch three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining has delivered Melbourne United a heart-stopping 81-80 win over the Adelaide 36ers in the best game of the NBL season.
Sunday's top-of-the-table blockbuster at a sold-out John Cain Arena lived up to the hype, with Melbourne (9-0) having the final say.
Dejan Vasiljevic's three-pointer had put the Sixers in front 80-78, before he committed an over-and-back turnover with 16 seconds left, giving United one last shot at glory.
Milton Doyle missed a triple with seven seconds remaining, before Jesse Edwards tipped the offensive rebound to the corner, where Walker chose the perfect moment to cast aside his recent shooting woes.
"It's always great to hit a big shot," Walker said. "Especially as I was struggling scoring the ball today.
"Just to see that go through was great. "Hopefully I can do it more often."
Adelaide called a time-out, advanced the ball, and nearly pinched a miracle when Vasiljevic's long bomb on the full-time siren rimmed out.
Edwards (25 points, 10-of-10 shooting) was unstoppable inside for Melbourne, while Zylan Cheatham (21 points, 12 boards, nine assists) flirted with a triple-double for the valiant 36ers (5-2), well supported by Bryce Cotton (22 points) and Isaac Humphries (18).
The first quarter was an attritional, defence-dominated grind, at the end of which Adelaide crept ahead 17-14.
Cotton missed all five field-goal attempts in that opening term before exploding in the second as the Sixers moved ahead by seven points.
Chris Goulding had an animated conversation with Adelaide coach Mike Wells, who accused the Melbourne skipper of flopping on an offensive foul against 36er Mike Harris.
Goulding responded with a tough four-point play - and a stare-down of Wells - as United claimed control via an 11-0 run either side of half-time.
Melbourne's 11-of-35 shooting in the opening half was offset by a massive 8-1 advantage on the offensive glass.
Behind Edwards and Goulding - and some foul problems for Adelaide's big men - United remained in the driver's seat in the third, before Cheatham and Humphries combined to rip the momentum back the Sixers' way in the fourth.
Humphries' huge dunk over Edwards inside the last three minutes put the Sixers up by six points, before Melbourne threw the last, decisive punch.
"I thought you saw playoff basketball," Wells said.
"You saw two really good teams throwing a lot of punches at each other, basketball-wise.
"I'm extremely excited about where we're at today and where we're going to be."
