Defending NBL champion Melbourne Tigers answered a spirited early challenge from new crosstown rivals South Dragons to post a comfortable 20-point win at Vodafone Arena.

The Tigers overcame a stunning first half of Dragons' three-point shooting and reeled in a 12-point deficit midway through the third quarter to secure a 128-108 victory.

Tigers centre Chris Anstey was outstanding in the second half for his 25 points, while Axel Dench backed him ably with 21.

In their first-ever derby, Dragons' star recruit Shane Heal led a perimeter clinic in a stellar opening quarter for the NBL new boys, scoring 17 of his game-high 26 points on five-from-five outside shooting.

The Dragons led by 10 points at quarter-time and stayed hot from outside in the second quarter to hold a six-point halftime buffer and on track for a huge upset.

But after increasing their lead to 12 at the six-minute mark of the third, the Dragons had no answer as the champion stirred.

Anstey, who had been held to eight first-half points, lifted hugely with 15 points in the term as the Tigers went into the final break with a five-point lead.

Then the Tigers kicked up another gear as the Dragons' hot hands cooled, punching the lead out to 11 points early in the fourth term and maintaining the advantage to the end.

Heal and forward Frank Drmic were the Dragons' best - Drmic scoring 21 points.

Melbourne now moves to a 5-1 win-loss record after also beating Adelaide on Saturday night.

The Dragons remain winless in five matches, but can at least take consolation in a crowd of nearly 8,000 in only their second home game.

The turning point came when the Tigers switched to a more aggressive defensive strategy in the third quarter, which helped curtail the Dragons' perimeter shooting and upset their rhythm.

But Tigers coach Al Westover admitted his side had been tested early by the Dragons and had to make some changes.

"They seemed to get out of their rhythm a little bit then when we did that (changed defence)," Westover said.

"The score flattered us a little bit - it wasn't a 20-point game."

In four of their five defeats, the Dragons have faded out in the third quarter - and this was no exception.

"Midway through the third I thought we'd continue to play well, then they threw a little half-court trap on us - and we looked like we'd never played against one before," lamented Dragons coach Mark Price.

"After they were done, we looked like the team that played last night, not them."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP