A sensational final quarter from centre Chris Anstey spearheaded the Melbourne Tigers to their fifth straight NBL victory - a 111-104 win over the Adelaide 36ers at the Derwent Entertainment Centre.

Anstey finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds - 13 of his points in the final quarter as the game hung in the balance.

Melbourne fought back from nine points down midway through the third term to win the see-sawing contest, giving the Tigers a solid grip on a second place and a top two spot as the NBL finals approach.

Melbourne led by five points at quarter-time and three at halftime, before Adelaide took a three-point lead to the final change.

But Anstey and Darryl McDonald, who landed 20 points and eight assists, helped the Tigers take control of the game to move three wins clear of third-placed Adelaide.

The Tigers now have an 18-5 win-loss record - including 12 wins in their past 13 matches.

Adelaide is 15-9 and has lost its past four matches.

Anstey also came through in the clutch for the Tigers in their win over Sydney last weekend and the big centre relished the chance to step up again.

"That's a big win for us tonight. We want to finish top two if we can't finish on top," Anstey told Fox Sports.

"We're a pretty well balanced team. We just wanted to get that extra game buffer on them (Adelaide) and if we beat Wollongong on Friday night, we'll be in a pretty good spot."

Melbourne, which has beaten NBL leader Sydney and Adelaide in its past two matches, now backs up against Wollongong in Melbourne for its third game in six days.

Adelaide faces the daunting task of travelling to Sydney to play the Kings on Friday night.

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