The Melbourne Tigers surged to an unassailable position as NBL title favourites after crushing Sydney 93-68 at the AIS Arena.

The battle of first versus third only served to highlight the yawning gap between the two teams as the grand final rematch turned into a training run for the Tigers.

Led by the irresistible form of Chris Anstey, Melbourne effectively had the Kings resigned to playing for pride after just one quarter.

Anstey was a dominant presence from the opening whistle, scoring ten of the Tigers' first four points to get them off to a flyer.

By halftime he had amassed 19 points to be the only player in double figures, 11 clear of teammate Stephen Hoare, while also leading the rebounding.

As his scoring dropped in the third quarter, he dipped into his bag of tricks to remain the game's most influential player, dishing out assists, grabbing steals and blocking shots.

Anstey finished with 26 points on an astonishing 10 of 13 shooting to lead all scorers, top the rebounding with 11, and added four assists, two steals and two blocks.

Sydney were effectively out of the contest after the opening twelve minutes, held to just seven points to equal the lowest score in their history for a quarter, which was dubiously last achieved in 1989.

Failing to hit a shot from the field in the last seven minutes, and connecting at just 17 per cent, Sydney saw Melbourne assume full control with a 24-7 lead.

The Kings were able to tread water for much of the second quarter, but when Anstey got firing Melbourne outscored the Kings 11-1 in the final three minutes to lead 53-27 at halftime.

Sydney tried to rally in the third quarter, coming out with an increased defensive presence, but their poor shooting sabotaged their efforts.

The Kings hit just six of 22 in the third compared to Melbourne's impeccable eight of 11, giving the Tigers a 74-43 advantage with a quarter to play.

The interest in the last term was seeing if any new records could be set, but the Kings narrowly avoided their lowest ever total of 66 with a basket with just 5 seconds left on the clock.

Hoare was a valuable back up to Anstey, coming off the bench to score 15 points to go with eight rebounds, while Dave Thomas finished with 13 and an astonishing seven steals.

Barely any Kings players made an impact on the scoresheet, with only Rodney Elliott finishing in double figures with 11.

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