2026-01-11

Sydney 97 - 94 Melbourne

Sydney secured a 97-94 victory over Melbourne despite being outshot from the field and committing more turnovers. The game was decided in the final minutes, where Sydney hit crucial three-pointers while Melbourne struggled to score down the stretch. Jaylin Galloway was the standout performer, connecting on all five of his attempts from deep and shooting 10-of-11 overall for 27 points. Melbourne's Jesse Edwards was efficient with 23 points on 11-of-13 shooting, but his team could not maintain their advantage in the fourth quarter. Sydney's ability to score at a rate of 56.1% effective field goal percentage compared to Melbourne's 50.6% was the primary statistical driver of the win. Melbourne led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter but went scoreless for nearly two minutes during a crucial stretch, allowing Sydney to pull away. The game featured several momentum swings, with Sydney taking a 75-77 lead into the final 4:19, but a 15-0 run over the next two minutes put the game out of reach. Both teams struggled off the bench, with the teams' fourth quarters of 21 and 18 points respectively highlighting the importance of their starters. Sydney's turnover rate of 7.8% was significantly better than Melbourne's 5.3%, which proved critical in preventing Melbourne from capitalizing on their superior field goal percentage.