The Adelaide 36ers have held on for a 87-86 victory over the Townsville Crocodiles at the Dome in Adelaide on Thursday night.
The victory in front of 2,294 raucous people was soured though as the 36ers look to have lost crowd favourite Nathan Herbert to a significant knee injury.
Herbert will have scans as soon as possible to see if he has torn his right ACL as currently feared.
The 36ers jumped out to an early lead through great ball movement and great touch around the basket.
The next two quarters saw both team hitting timely baskets as the Crocs mounted a comeback on the back on some outstanding play from Luke Schenscher and Michael Cedar.
The game hung in the balance in the last quarter with some outstanding defence from Craig Winder meaning the 36ers escaped their first hit out of the pre-season with a stirring and emotional one-point victory.
All 10 players that hit the court for the 36ers scored.
Winder lead the 36ers with 19 points at 70% and Troy Devries coupling 17 points at 63% with a team high of seven rebounds.
The 36ers will play the Crocs again on Friday night in Mount Barker, with tip-off 7:30 and tickets available at the door.
