They say there's no place like home, and Adelaide 36ers captain Dejan Vasiljevic proved this Wednesday night, showing out in front of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre crowd as the Boomers took down the Tall Blacks.
With the sharpshooter at the helm, Australia survived an early Kiwi surge to finish with a 12-point win in the nation's first meeting since 2022.
Vasiljevic top-scored in the game with 23 points, netting five three-pointers in an impressive outing for the two-time NBL champion.
Vasiljevic shines as Boomers down Tall Blacks
Australian basketball fans know exactly how dangerous Vasiljevic can be when he gets hot, and the Tall Blacks experienced this first-hand in the first game of the Trans-Tasman Throwdown.
DJ Vasiljevic 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/MCUq20Vwus
— Jordan McCallum (@jordanmcnbl) May 7, 2025
Adelaide's marquee guard helped spark a huge comeback for the Boomers, alongside fellow elite scorer Elijah Pepper who had five threes of his own.
"Really pleased with our defensive effort in the second half," Australia coach Dean Vickerman said after the game
"Once we really sat down and slowed down their pace, we made it more difficult for them to put their feet in the keyway.
"There will be really good learnings from that one about how we get better as a group."
This was the first of three games that the two neighbouring nations will play, with the second clash to be held this Friday on the Gold Coast.