Behind guards Rod Johnson and Darryl McDonald, North Melbourne reeled in an 11-point half-time deficit to extend its season-opening stand to five games. Even without the injured Leon Trimmingham in uniform, the Sixers inflated a comfortable cushion behind Brett Maher (19 points) and John Rillie (18 points) before the Giants recovered. McDonald finished with 23 points, five assists and eight boards, while Johnson went 5-for-8 from three point range on the way to 19 points. "The game definitely went in peaks and valleys, most times the valleys were when the younger players were on and the peaks were when the starters were on," North Melbourne coach Brett Brown said. Said Adelaide coach Dave Claxton: "They got 40 points from their imports and we only got two points from ours, and we lost by eight points."
Adelaide: Maher 19, Rillie 18, Ninnis 12, Davis 12, Wheeler 11, McKinnon 6, Cattalini 6, Sapwell 6, Brown 2.
North Melbourne: McDonald 23, Stiff 22, Johnson 19, Mitchell 19, Reidy 9, Goodwin 7.
