Perth defeated Melbourne 96-84 by controlling the game through efficient scoring and turnover margin. The Wildcats shot 46.5% from the field and hit 9 threes, while Melbourne shot 39.2% and made only 9 from deep. A significant factor in the victory was perimeter defense; Perth limited Melbourne to just 9 three-point makes compared to their 9 made, but crucially took 16 more attempts. In the backcourt, Melbourne's Tanner Krebs led all scorers with 29 points on 12-of-14 shooting (4-of-5 from three), but the Wildcats balanced their attack with contributions from Dylan Windler (13 points) and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (18 points). Perth limited turnovers to 10 compared to Melbourne's 11, which allowed them to maintain possession and capitalize on their scoring opportunities. The Wildcats' ability to score at the rim and draw fouls (21 free throws) proved decisive in securing the 12-point margin.
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Jo Lual-Acuil JrJ. Lual-Acuil Jr | 30:00 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6-14 | 42.9 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 6-12 | 50.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +6 |
| ⭐ David Duke JnrD. Duke Jnr (#12) | 34:11 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6-18 | 33.3 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 2-3 | 66.7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +10 |
| ⭐ Dylan WindlerD. Windler (#3) | 27:59 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 5-8 | 62.5 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | +24 |
| ⭐ Kristian DoolittleK. Doolittle (#5) | 33:53 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 3-9 | 33.3 | 1-5 | 20.0 | 5-7 | 71.4 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +5 |
| ⭐ Elijah PepperE. Pepper (#40) | 26:38 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3-7 | 42.9 | 0-4 | 0.0 | 3-5 | 60.0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| David OkweraD. Okwera (#35) | 11:20 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +5 |
| Sunday DechS. Dech (#8) | 15:05 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +5 |
| Ben HenshallB. Henshall (#10) | 14:11 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2-4 | 50.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Lat MayenL. Mayen (#2) | 01:00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Noa Kouakou-HeugueN. Kouakou-Heugue (#13) | 01:27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Dontae Russo-NanceD. Russo-Nance (#1) | 01:00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Jesse WagstaffJ. Wagstaff (#24) (C) | 01:56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +6 |
| Cameron HuefnerC. Huefner (#25) | 01:27 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 96 | 45 | 24 | 33-71 | 46.5 | 9-23 | 39.1 | 21-34 | 61.8 | 13 | 32 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 13 | - |
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Jesse EdwardsJ. Edwards (#14) | 22:30 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 7-12 | 58.3 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -15 |
| ⭐ Milton DoyleM. Doyle (#35) | 29:44 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 5-19 | 26.3 | 2-8 | 25.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | -5 |
| ⭐ Finn DelanyF. Delany (#7) | 19:50 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2-5 | 40.0 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -7 |
| ⭐ Tyson WalkerT. Walker (#2) | 33:11 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1-11 | 9.1 | 0-5 | 0.0 | 4-4 | 100.0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -16 |
| ⭐ Chris GouldingC. Goulding (#43) | 15:50 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-6 | 0.0 | 0-3 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -11 |
| Tanner KrebsT. Krebs (#13) | 20:56 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 12-14 | 85.7 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Fabijan KrslovicF. Krslovic (#18) | 17:30 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2-6 | 33.3 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +3 |
| Dash DanielsD. Daniels (#4) | 11:29 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | 33.3 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 |
| Tom KoppensT. Koppens (#30) | 02:00 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 |
| Malith MacharM. Machar (#9) | 04:47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +4 |
| Tom WilsonT. Wilson (#12) | 04:06 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Kyle BowenK. Bowen (#15) (C) | 18:12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -7 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 84 | 43 | 16 | 31-79 | 39.2 | 9-32 | 28.1 | 13-16 | 81.2 | 13 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 22 | - |
| Team | eFG% | TOV% | ORB% | FT Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | 52.8% | 10.4% | 30.2% | 47.9% |
| Melbourne | 44.9% | 11.3% | 28.9% | 20.3% |
eFG% (Effective Field Goal %): Adjusts FG% for 3-pointers being worth more
TOV% (Turnover Rate): Turnovers per 100 possessions (lower is better)
ORB% (Offensive Rebound Rate): % of available offensive rebounds grabbed
FT Rate: Free throw attempts relative to field goal attempts