The Melbourne Tigers emphatically put one foot in the National Basketball League grand final, smashing the Perth Wildcats 94-78 in the opening match of their best-of-three semi-final series.

Tigers big man Chris Anstey was unstoppable for his side, scoring 28 points and 11 rebounds in a niggly, bad-tempered match which sets the scene for an interesting game two in Perth on Thursday night.

The Tigers won the match in the third quarter, restricting Perth to a dismal nine points in the term as they opened up a 21-point lead by the last change.

Melbourne dominated on the boards at both ends - Perth's frustration boiling over at various points in the third and fourth quarter as a hectic schedule of two elimination finals in the past week appeared to take its toll on the Wildcats' offence.

Perth managed just two-of-12 field goal shooting in the third term and fared little better in the flare-ups.

First Wildcats guard David Bailey pushed Tigers rival Braith Cox in the back off-the-ball late in the third term to draw a technical foul and send the on-court temperature rising.

Then an all-in melee flared early in the final quarter as Perth's Peter Crawford appeared to drop his elbows into Tigers guard Daryl Corletto's back while both were chasing a loose ball.

Crawford, who had also conceded two fouls in 30 seconds in the third quarter, fouled out as a result.

With his departure, the steam went out of the Wildcats altogether and the Tigers went into cruise mode.

Import Shawn Redhage was the Wildcats' best, with 17 points and nine rebounds.

The winner of the Tigers-Wildcats series heads to the best-of-five grand final series to play the winner of the Sydney Kings-Cairns Taipans semi-final.

The Sydney-Cairns series starts on Wednesday night in Sydney.

Wildcats coach Scott Fisher said his side's frustration at times was understandable, but admitted both Crawford and Bailey's indiscretions didn't help the team.

"In some instances we were our own worst enemies," Fisher said.

"Peter Crawford's rebuttal to whatever Daryl Corletto did was not necessary and unfortunate.

"David Bailey's reaction to Braith Cox was not a smart play. We were stupid out there from time to time.

"(But) the expectations among the team are pretty high, and when things don't go according to plan, the frustration comes out."

Tigers coach Al Westover rested import Dave Thomas for much of the second half to help ease him back into action after his recovery from a knee injury in the side's last home-and-away match 10 days ago.

But he was pleased with the way his side coped with Perth, which had surprised Brisbane and Wollongong in successive elimination finals away from home in the past few days to earn a shot at the Tigers.

"We knew it was going to be a physical game and I was happy with the way our guys handled it," Westover said.

"We beat them on the boards, we handled their transition, which was always going to be a key to winning."

Both sides head to Perth for Thursday night's game two at Challenge Stadium, with a third game if required to be held in Melbourne on Saturday night.

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