FOLLOWING a week full of surprising results, the National Basketball League (NBL) returns for another round of exciting matches. The third weekend of the 2021/22 season saw some surprising results, with the competition’s two undefeated sides suffering their first losses of their respective campaigns. With the standings shaken up, the top four spots are suddenly up for grabs, so the results of this week could have major impact on who stands where moving forward.

NBL Round 4:

In a massive clash, the South East Melbourne Phoenix will travel to take on the Illawarra Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Thursday night. Both of these teams were undefeated heading into last round, but were on the receiving ends of some shocking losses to bring them both back to earth.

The Illawarra Hawks have been one of the more impressive teams to start the year, led by some impressive coaching from Brian Goorjian. They managed to win their first three games, as they emerged as one of the potential championship favourites. They found themselves bested by the Brisbane Bullets to close out Round 3, falling by four points to a side that was simply hungrier and were able to knock down more shots. They will be looking to amend this tonight, but face a tough opponent in the Phoenix. Expect Goorjian to have some tricks up his sleeve as they look to take down one of the competition’s strongest teams.

The Phoenix have been outstanding in the opening three weeks, but were convincingly beaten by the Sydney Kings against a hostile crowd. It was a performance slammed by head coach Simon Mitchell, so expect them to bounce back this week. One matchup to keep an eye on will be between Phoenix big man Zhou Qi and Illawarra’s Duop Reath. Reath has been in near-MVP form, but on the other hand, there has been no better interior defender than Zhou to start the season, so this battle could shape the result of the match.

The first of a Boxing Day triple-header will see the Tasmania JackJumpers play host to the New Zealand Breakers at MyState Bank Arena, with both sides desperate to put themselves on the winners list.

The JackJumpers started the season in ideal fashion, with their overtime victory over the Brisbane Bullets. However, they have been unable to reach these heights, losing every subsequent game since then. The margins have also gotten out of hand at times, with their defeat to the Perth Wildcats ending with an 18-point margin. This match provides a perfect opportunity for the side to get back on track, as they face a side that they would consider beatable. They will need their stars to fire in order for this to happen, but they have shown in the past that they are capable of pulling off these wins.

The Breakers are currently in the midst of a difficult season, given the border restrictions for their home country extending until February at the earliest. A win would not only lift their spirits, but also get some much-needed momentum rolling. They pushed the Hawks to their limit, but fell just one-point short of claiming their first win of the season in overtime, before a brutal defeat to Melbourne United later that round. They will have full faith in their ability to take down the league’s newest side, and if big man Yannick Wetzell continues his run of strong form, it will make things a lot easier.

After last week’s blowout, the Sydney Kings will once again take on Melbourne United at Qudos Bank Arena, in the second Boxing Day clash for fans to enjoy.

The Kings were obliterated by United to open Round 3, posting their lowest score in club history as they fell by a whopping 42 points. They will have revenge on their mind as they look to amend this on their home deck this weekend. They did manage to bounce back a few days after this loss by handing the South East Melbourne Phoenix their first loss, but there will be plenty of pressure on for the side to produce a stronger performance than we saw last week.

On the other hand, United will be looking to replicate last week’s performance against the Kings, with essentially no negatives coming out of this result for the reigning champions. They were ruthless on both ends of the court, and while it seems unlikely that the margin will be as significant the second time around, the only thing on their mind will be claiming their second win in two weeks against this side. Sharpshooter Chris Goulding looks back to his best after Round 3, and will play a key role here.

The final Boxing Day clash will see the Brisbane Bullets take on the Cairns Taipans at Nissan Arena in a battle between two improving sides.

The Bullets have proved inconsistent at times this season, but have shown some seriously promising signs, and will be looking to push towards the top four with the opportunity for their third win this weekend. Forward Robert Franks has shown he is one of the competition’s best offensive players, and we all know what Nathan Sobey is capable of, so the side will consider themselves a red-hot chance here, especially if they can find the form that saw them take down the Hawks last week.

The Taipans have seriously turned their season around over the last couple of weeks, winning their last two matches as they look to climb the standings on a weekly basis. While they have not taken down any of the heavyweights of the competition yet, they will still have full confidence in their ability to grab win number three here, and will be backing their system to deliver in spades once again.

The final match of the round will see the Perth Wildcats travel south to take on the Adelaide 36ers at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday night.

The 36ers will enter this match as underdogs, given the Wildcats strong start to the season, but will be quietly confident in their ability to steal a win here. They have shown that they have the scoring capability (Dusty Hannahs has been able to hit 20+ points with ease of late), it is just a matter of their defensive ability. If they can figure out a way to slow down the scoring of Perth, then they may be able to pull off one of the most unlikely wins we have seen so far this season.

The Wildcats have been in red-hot form of late, jumping to the top of the standings with their fourth win of the season coming against the JackJumpers on Sunday night. After a number of years at the top, the team has added yet another explosive and reliable scorer in Victor Law. The addition of the talented forward not only provides another avenue to the basket, but also takes a lot of the pressure off superstar guard Bryce Cotton, who has seen the defence collapse on him a lot less this season. If the duo are firing against the 36ers, the game may well be over shortly after it begins.