Basketball On The Internet.

YES, that's the way to set up a victory. Start your best five-man combination, shorten your substitution rotation, make sure players are clear on their roles, play through your strengths and, oh yeah, have your assistant coach stay in the background where he belongs.

Adelaide coach CJ Bruton followed those basics yesterday and, as predicted, his 36ers handled Perth Wildcats 89-78 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre with his counterpart, John Rillie, made to look the coaching novice.

It was a pleasant change, the 36ers actually looking good - not great - but taking their first step in the right direction.

Fans may have witnessed Bruton actually coaching for the first time. For their sake, hopefully there will be more of it. Coaches aren't supposed to be loved by every player or super-popular.

At the pro levels, they are expected to orchestrate victories, not be everybody's best pal.

Bruton put his Mr Nice Guy (you know where they finish, right?) persona on hold, started Mitch McCarron, Trey Kell, Dejan Vasiljevic, Jacob Wiley and Isaac Humphries.

He then brought Jason Cadee and Sunday Dech into his small-man rotations and had Kyrin Galloway in a three-man rotation with Wiley and Humphries.

Guess what? It worked a treat.

Galloway (16 points at 50 per cent, 7 rebounds) had by far his most convincing and productive game as an NBL player while Humphries had arguably the best match of his career, and certainly his best in a Sixers' uniform.

Receiving some passes from teammates, he was aggressive and was the dominant big man on the floor all night.

And when the game came down to the stretch, Bruton had Dech defending a frustrated Bryce Cotton who is a mere shadow of himself in this Wildcat team's offensive muddle.

Tohi Smith-Milner (injured according to a club release), Alex Starling and Trentyn Flowers stayed firmly anchored to the bench as Adelaide, apart from a late second quarter hiccup, looked the better team all night.

Vasiljevic hit some big bombs early, Kell was active, McCarron the same, Wiley always a bundle of enthusiasm as Humphries led from the front, his 26 points at 70 per cent, plus 8 boards, an assist and three steals.

Lord knows what the hell Perth was doing. Another erratic subbing pattern, unconscionable combinations on the floor and, down the stretch, someone named Michael Harris jacking up two 3-point attempts when they should have been fashioning a play for Cotton.

Starting Jesse Wagstaff in his 450th game, then benching him almost immediately - a repeat to start the second half - saw him accumulate 6:11 of action. What was the point?

Clearly Rillie does not recognise what Wagstaff can bring, Keanu Pinder working hard for his 17 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block and even donating Hungry Jack's cheeseburgers to his former fans.

For the first time, Bruton looked like an NBL coach, apart from his cringeworthy exhorting of the crowd a couple of times - can't recall seeing Goorj, Bevo, Joey or Trevor ever doing that - but then he clearly was feeling the pressure.

Pressure relieved, it's out west now they must be wondering whether they too appointed a career assistant.  

ADELAIDE 36ERS 89 (Humphries 26, Galloway 16, Vasiljevic 15, Wiley 10; Humphries, Wiley 8 rebs; Vasiljevic 6 assts) d PERTH WILDCATS 78 (Pinder 17, C.Webster 14, T.Webster 12, Usher, Cotton 11; Pinder 13 rebs; Pinder 5 assts) at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 8,140

NO-ONE was expecting too much of Brisbane at South East, so they couldn't have been too disappointed when the obvious unfolded, the Phoenix home 96-73.

After a competitive first quarter, the Bullets wilted and the further the game went, the further the lead blew out.

Alan Williams compiled a game-high 21 points at 64 per cent, plus six boards, three assists and a steal and Ben Ayre's return also was highly productive, with 16 points at 67 per cent.

Isaac White and Mitch Norton stepped up for Brisbane but the season now seems to steadily be slipping away.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 96 (Williams 21, Ayre 16, Vague 12, Creek 10; Moller, Creek 7 rebs; Williams, Browne 3 assts) d BRISBANE BULLETS 73 (White, Sobey 14, Norton 12; Harrison, Sobey 7 rebs; Norton 5 assts) at John Cain Arena.