South East Melbourne Phoenix have defeated the Illawarra Hawks 106-102 to continue their record-setting start to life in the NBL.
Riding high off a 2-0 start and with Illawarra's high-profile American recruit LaMelo Ball making his first appearance in Melbourne, a crowd of more than 10,000 packed Melbourne Arena on Saturday night to witness the Phoenix win their third game in a row.
The result sees the NBL new boys join the Sydney Kings with a 3-0 record as they set a benchmark for consecutive wins by an expansion team to open a season.
The home side kept the Hawks at arm's length for most of the contest but a 14-2 third-quarter surge saw the visitors grab a narrow lead.
But with Mitch Creek (23 points, six rebounds, five assists) leading from the front in his 200th NBL game and John Roberson (26 points, 10 assists) adding five three-pointers, the Phoenix closed out the win in style to remain unbeaten after three rounds.
Former NBA guard Aaron Brooks paced the Hawks with 23 points while the smooth-moving Ball dazzled the crowd on his way to 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Phoenix jumped out of the gates with 11 unanswered points to lead by six but with Ball creating opportunities and Todd Blanchfield adding nine points, the visitors closed the gap to 26-23 after one quarter.
The second stanza got off to a scrappy start with both teams struggling to hit the outside shot until Ben Madgen finally broke the drought, his second three-pointer extending the Phoenix lead to 42-33.
The Hawks responded with Tim Coenraad and Brooks hitting back-to-back triples but Dane Pineau's late basket ensured the Phoenix took a 53-46 advantage into the main break.
After an even start to the third quarter, the Phoenix were poised to break the game open when Roberson sent the lead into double digits but Brooks and Ball fuelled a 14-2 run as the Hawks hit the front 68-66.
Creek stepped up immediately to regain the lead for the Phoenix but some key minutes from rookie forward Sam Froling gave the Hawks hope as they headed into the final quarter down by two.
But despite Ball giving Illawarra a brief 81-79 led in the final quarter, the Phoenix proved too strong as Roberson and Kendall Stephens nailed important three-pointers to secure the win.