How to watch & talking points: Melbourne v Adelaide

07 Feb 2026

melbourne united

adelaide 36ers

Top-four heavyweights Melbourne and Adelaide face off in a Round 20 fixture with high Finals ramifications.

Melbourne United (4th) v Adelaide 36ers (2nd)
Saturday, February 7, 8pm AEDT
John Cain Arena

How to watch‍

‍Watch every game live on ESPN.

>> How to watch ESPN

Tickets

>> Ticketing information

How to follow & live scores

‍Live scores, stats, breaking news and game highlights are available via the new and improved NBL App.

>> Visit Game Centre | Download the free NBL App now

Talking points

Stop the rot
Adelaide has lost five of its past seven games and looks to be in a real rough patch before the NBL26 post-season.

Mike Wells said the loss to the Illawarra Hawks “stings”, so it’s now on them to respond against fellow NBL heavyweight Melbourne.

A loss on Saturday night could see the 36ers fall outside the top-two by the end of Round 20.

Ili vs Bryce
Not many players can match up on Bryce Cotton one-on-one and get the upper hand.

But two-time Defensive Player of the Year Shea Ili has proven to have some success.

In just his second game back from injury, has Ili’s return come at the perfect time?

What they're saying

United forward Finn Delany on the impact teammate Shea Ili can make:
"He can do things that no other player can. We love that and I love playing with him.

"He makes people's jobs easier and he lifts the intensity and the defensive will and grit."

36ers coach Mike Wells on rebounding from Thursday's loss to Illawarra:
“We've got to use the sting of this to be our fuel to kind of drive us on Saturday night, which would be a very difficult game there at United.

“We'll have to kind of regroup and refill our cup and get ready for a team down there in United that's been sitting there waiting on us.”