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AAP
AAP
Justin Chadwick

Walton Jr fires as Phoenix crush 36ers in open-air win

Isaac Humphries of the 36ers drives for the basket during the NBL match against the Phoenix. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Derrick Walton Jr has produced a three-point blitz to lead South East Melbourne to a crushing 106-86 NBL win over the Adelaide 36ers at John Cain Arena.

Walton Jr nailed 6-of-10 from long range on the way to 28 points and six rebounds in Saturday night's open-air clash.

Phoenix star Matt Hurt continued his strong form with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Angus Glover hit 5-of-10 from the perimeter on the way to 15 points.

Walton Jr was averaging just 9.4 points per game before his heroics against Adelaide.

"I've had a lot of personal stuff going on this year, injuries and all that, but I try not to make an excuse," Walton Jr told ESPN.

"The guys always give me confidence. I know what I've accomplished in my career.

"I'm just trying to find my way again. Today was a good day.  

"I think we've got a really good group. Everyone loves each other. We're trying to keep the momentum going."

Star Adelaide guard Kendric Davis overcame a quiet first half to finish with 24 points and eight assists, while Montrezl Harrell tallied 15 points and five rebounds in an up-and-down display.

The win improved the Phoenix's record to 9-9, with the team winning seven of their 10 matches since Josh King took over as coach 

Adelaide slipped to a 7-9 record, with the 36ers losing five of their past six matches in a worrying form slump.

The last time Harrell was at John Cain Arena, he copped a three-match suspension for an ugly scuffle with Melbourne United players and a confrontation with courtside fans.

Things were far more tame early upon his return, with Harrell even giving a young fan a high-five after a successful drive to the hoop in the opening quarter.

But his trademark fire was still there, with Harrell venting his frustrations at the referees at quarter time after feeling they weren't calling enough fouls. 

Harrell scored six points in the first term, but the Phoenix led 26-22.

The scoreboard blew out to 56-38 by half-time courtesy of big contributions from Walton Jr and Hurt.

Davis had just seven points to his name at half-time, and Adelaide needed him more than ever as the lead ballooned to as much as 24 points in the third quarter.

Davis finally found his range, scoring seven points during the third quarter as the margin was whittled down to 12 points.

But any thought of Adelaide continuing their push in the final quarter was quickly snuffed out by Glover, who nailed two long-range bombs to kill off the 36ers' hopes. 

"We've got a resilient team, a talented team, and if we stick together and continue to get better, we'll have a really good season," King said.

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