How to watch & talking points: Adelaide v South East Melbourne

30 Jan 2026

adelaide 36ers

south east melbourne phoenix

NBL heavyweights Adelaide and South East Melbourne lock horns in a blockbuster Round 19 clash on Saturday night.

Adelaide 36ers (1st) v South East Melbourne Phoenix (3rd)
Saturday, January 31, 5.30pm AEDT
Adelaide Entertainment Centre

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Tickets

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Talking points

Revenge game
Just two weeks ago, the Phoenix went into a big game against Adelaide without Nathan Sobey and they sent a message to the rest of the competition by winning by 19 points.

Since then, the 36ers form has been up and down and the Phoenix are now fresh off a loss to Perth, looking to bounce back.

Adelaide wants to secure top spot, while the Phoenix have currently slipped to third and want to get back into second over the Sydney Kings. There is plenty at stake in this one.

MVP battle
Bryce Cotton and Sobey, two superstars who have had outstanding seasons and are both deservedly in the MVP conversation for many different reasons.

Cotton, who is arguably having the most damaging season of his career, is looking to notch up a sixth trophy.

Sobey on the other hand is also having his best season at 35-years-old, having last been in MVP conversations during NBL21 for the Bullets. There's a strong case for both and another important game in the eyes of the voters.

What they're saying

36ers star Bryce Cotton on the play on his teammates:
"I think my teammates are doing a pretty good job, considering we're number one on the ladder.

“You're gonna have games where it doesn't go so well, you're gonna have games where it goes right, but so far, we've won more games than any other team, so I think they're doing a perfect job.”

Phoenix coach Josh King on John Brown III's Defensive Player of the Year case:
"It’s not close, it’s not.

"We can sit here and pretend that it is, but he [Brown} is kilometres and kilometres and kilometres, miles, miles ahead for Defensive Player of the Year, in my mind and it’s not close."