Behind a blistering start and resurgent Josh Magette's hot hand, the Tasmania JackJumpers have trounced the Adelaide 36ers 97-72 in their NBL clash at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The JackJumpers virtually put Thursday night's contest to bed in the opening quarter when they outscored the Sixers 32-10, Magette amassing 14 of them.
Out of form and benched for the last 20 minutes of the JackJumpers' recent come-from-behind win over Brisbane, Magette (game-highs 23 points, seven assists, four steals) came out breathing fire.
He drilled the game's first three-pointer, dished off to import Milton Doyle for the next one, then conjured a steal and triple for a 9-0 lead, forcing Adelaide coach CJ Bruton to burn a time-out inside the opening 90 seconds.
"I've been struggling to start the season," Magette admitted.
"I don't think the product I've put out there is a reflection of who I am.
"It's always nice when the first one or two go in and you can play a little more freely."
Tasmania knocked down seven from downtown in the first stanza, red-hot Magette drilling back-to-back bombs from 30 feet, leaving the 36ers shellshocked.
Fresh off their history-making triumph over NBA powerhouse Phoenix Suns in Arizona, on the back of winning the NBL's preseason Loggins-Bruton Cup, Adelaide couldn't have started in more sluggish fashion in their season opener.
"It would be an excuse for me to throw that (jet lag) out there," Bruton said.
"It (poor start) was a bit of disconnect, mindset and approach."
New import Craig Randall top-scored for the Sixers with 18 points but shot 2-of-10 from downtown, had five turnovers and exuded poor body language at times.
He enjoyed a purple patch in the second term, though, combining with fellow American recruit Antonius Cleveland for an 11-0 burst to help the Sixers trim the deficit to 51-37 at half-time.
After a tightly-contested third period, Adelaide closed the gap to 11 points early in the fourth, forcing JackJumpers coach Scott Roth to call a time-out.
From that point, the Islanders were unstoppable, Magette continuing to thrive and fellow import Rashard Kelly (19 points) getting on a roll, trampling the 36ers down the home stretch.
"'Jet' (Magette) has been struggling a bit with his shot ... it was a relief for him to see the ball go through," said Roth.
"The quality of the shots were there. I thought he was fantastic.
"We came out with really good intent ... great effort by our group."
