Melbourne United have celebrated the long-awaited return of Jo Lual-Acuil but it was fellow centre Ariel Hukporti who starred in a 101-91 defeat of the lllawarra Hawks.

NBL heavyweights United only kicked clear from last season’s wooden spooners towards the end of the third quarter following a high-scoring first half at WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday.

Again sloppy from the field, the Hawks missed nine consecutive shots to finish the third period as United (5-1) opened up a 14-point lead that proved match-winning.

“We just have these patches against really good basketball teams that let us down,” said Hawks coach Jacob Jackomas.

“The shots weren’t disgusting today, just some little things right now. We said that before with the team is that we need to do all the little things right against this basketball team and we didn’t.”

Big man Gary Clark (17 points) was one of few Hawks who got his eye in, with imports Tyler Harvey (19 points, six from 16 attempts) and Justin Robinson (nine points, two from eight) again struggling.

Robinson was one of three Hawks to foul out, alongside big men Sam Froling and Lachlan Olbrich.

Despite Illawarra’s shooting issues, United gave up more first half points (51) than in any other of their games this season.

The Hawks dominated the offensive glass (18-10) and punished United with 21 points from turnovers.

But they finished the day shooting at 38 per cent from the field to United’s 53, which made things difficult, especially when United locked the paint down in the third quarter.

“It took us a little bit of time to wake up with their physicality and the way they got after it,” said United coach Dean Vickerman.

NBL champion Lual-Acuil returned from a wrist injury for the first minutes of his United comeback, while NBA hopeful Hukporti (21 points, 10 rebounds) shone for the visitors.

Hukporti was United’s rock under the basket and a defensive board in the final minute sealed his third double-double from five games this season.

“I think I’ve found my role in the team now, it took me a while because I’m coming off the (achilles) injury and it was a year out,” Hukporti said.

“I’ve got it now, I know what my role is and I think I did a great job today.”

Lual-Acuil had a scratchy start, missing his first two free-throws and subbing out to change out of an incorrect pair of shorts, but went on to register 12 points on a minutes restriction.

“He’s going to see double-teams down there so once we get our spacing right and our cutting right to play off that, he’s going to be a weapon,” Vickerman said.

Projected NBA draft lottery pick AJ Johnson had his best Hawks game yet, but was again short on opportunities.

The teenager set the crowd alight with his first NBL three-pointer just after quarter time and sent a dime through traffic that led to a Gary Clark jam on transition soon afterwards.

Creek swamps Sixers for Phoenix

A powerful second quarter propelled South East Melbourne Phoenix to a clinical 102-85 NBL victory against the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The Phoenix pummelled the Sixers 28-14 in the second term on Thursday night to put the game out of the home side’s reach.

Mitch Creek (23 points) led the Phoenix’s charge, import guards Gary Browne (19 points, eight assists) and Will Cummings (18 points) did as they pleased, while Alan Williams (15 points, 13 rebounds) was influential in his first game of the season following a knee injury.

“We were trading baskets until that second five minutes of the second quarter when the guys got multiple stops in a row and kept scoring freely,” Phoenix coach Mike Kelly said.

“That was the difference right there, that five-minute patch.”

Mitch Creek. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

Import Trey Kell (21 points) top-scored for Adelaide, while Dejan Vasiljevic, signed by the 36ers from the Sydney Kings only 48 hours earlier, had 17 points on debut with his new club.

Vasiljevic was prolific early, firing 10 attempts and scoring 10 points in the first quarter.

At the other end, Browne racked up nine points and four assists in the opening period, which ended with scores tied at 28-28.

Vasiljevic’s third triple gave Adelaide a slender 40-39 lead, before the visitors rattled off the next 15 points and led 54-42 at half-time.

After Browne led Phoenix’s early charge, it was fellow imports Williams and Cummings who, in the second stanza, troubled the Sixers, who looked all at sea offensively and passive defensively.

After Phoenix’s lead ballooned to 17 points midway through the third, experienced 36ers reserves Sunday Dech and Jason Cadee helped the home side briefly trim the deficit to single digits.

But their hard work was undone when Creek, who helped himself to 13 points for the term, drained an uncontested three on the three-quarter-time buzzer to push Phoenix out to 77-65, before Williams and Browne continued on their merry way in the fourth.

“Disappointing – that’s what that was,” Sixers coach CJ Bruton said.

“Our effort left, our communication left, and everyone was a step too slow.”

The Phoenix rose to 3-3 with their second straight win, while Adelaide (1-5) remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder.

CJ claims Kings didn’t look after DJ

Adelaide coach CJ Bruton has accused Sydney of not looking after Dejan Vasiljevic, as the war of words between the 36ers and Kings over the sharpshooting guard escalated.

Vasiljevic, a two-time championship winner with Sydney, had originally been released from his Kings contract to chase his NBA dream.

But when the Washington Wizards waived him just before pre-season training camp, the 26-year-old decided to return to the NBL – signing with the Sixers on Tuesday, which didn’t please Sydney’s powerbrokers.

“We originally amended the contract in good faith and completed our roster with the understanding that ‘DJ’ (Vasiljevic) would play internationally this season,” Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass said.

“We are disappointed with how this has been handled and another NBL team’s role in this process.”

Australian basketball legend and Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut chimed in on X where he posted, in part, that Sydney had granted Vasiljevic a release “after he told us he wanted to ‘chase his NBA dream’, not his NBL dream with another club”.

Vasiljevic, fronting the press as a 36er for the first time on Wednesday, fired back at the Kings, saying “they made me look like a villain, they made Adelaide look like the villain”.

But on Thursday night, Bruton called for Sydney to “move on”.

“I’ve only got my perspective – you (Kings) had the chance to have him, you chose not to have him,” he said.

“He’s moved on. Move on.

“If you wanted to do something more, look after the kid.

“Talk to him, championship ceremony or whatever … but that’s on them (Sydney).

“That’s not on us or me.”

Vasiljevic scored 17 points in his Adelaide debut on Thursday, including 11 in a productive first quarter, but he couldn’t prevent the bottom-placed Sixers from suffering a 102-85 loss to South East Melbourne Phoenix.

“I thought his energy was good,” Bruton said of his prized recruit.

“With more time to settle in, the better he’ll become.”