Early championship favourites Melbourne United shook off some first-half rust before blowing the Adelaide 36ers away 89-65 in a lopsided NBL season opener.

Following the league’s longest-ever off-season — this was the first NBL game in 306 days — United trailed by two points following a tight opening half before making up for lost time, obliterating the Sixers 26-13 in each of the third and fourth quarters.

Chris Goulding and Jo Lual-Acuil (16 points apiece) led an even charge for Melbourne, while Daniel Johnson (29 points) was the only member of the outclassed 36ers who looked remotely up for the fight in Adelaide on Friday night.

With Goulding hot from the perimeter and boom recruit Jock Landale active on the glass, Melbourne jumped ahead 12-6 before 18-year-old Josh Giddey’s injection off the bench sparked Adelaide momentarily.

Giddey had an assist within his first six seconds as an NBL player, picked Lual- Acuil’s pocket for a steal and soared for a dunk, giving the Sixers their first lead.

Adelaide led 22-18 at quarter-time and still held sway 39-37 at half-time thanks chiefly to captain Johnson who had 18 by half-time, including 10 of the Sixers’ 17 second-quarter points.

He rattled off 14 of Adelaide’s 16 points either side of half-time, but he had no help whatsoever and Melbourne took full advantage, going on a 13-0 tear and, on the back of a spectacular Yudai Baba-to-Landale alley-oop, led 63-52 at three-quarter-time.

With Lual-Acuil proving a menace in the paint and Baba breathtaking in the open court, United produced another 14-0 run amid an overall 22-3 surge to leave Adelaide, with the obvious exception of Johnson, gasping.