BOTH the New Zealand Breakers and the Perth Wildcats claimed impressive wins in the fourth round of the 2025/26 season of the National Basketball League (NBL), although the margins ended up being significantly different.

New Zealand Breakers (117) def. Illawarra Hawks (88)

The new Ignite Cup kicked off on Wednesday, with the Illawarra Hawks making the trip to Spark Arena to take on the New Zealand Breakers. The Breakers had suffered a rough start to their NBL26 campaign, with a 0-4 losing streak, and it could be due to their lack of depth throughout the roster outside of their stars. Illawarra has faced some issues, most notably being JaQouri Mclaughlin, who has struggled thus far in his debut NBL season. Heading into the matchup both squads had something to prove, and were desperate to prove their doubters wrong. 

The Breakers defended the home court and won in a dominant 117-88 victory, with the starting unit all showing out with star performances. Point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright had a dominant showing ending the game with 20 points and 17 assists, setting a new record in the modern 40-minute NBL era.

Next Star Karim Lopez was also a standout, with the 18-year-old having 16 points and nine rebounds. Strong performances off the bench from the likes of Carlin Davison and Reuben Te Rangi also helped the breakers secure their first victory of the season. 

With JaVale McGee playing just 22 minutes, Illawarra needed other players to step up. New import Mclaughlin struggled once again with five points, shooting 22 per cent from the field, further showing his struggles to adapt to NBL gameplay.

Tyler Harvey once again showed his leadership with a 22-point, six-assist performance, while Mason Peatling and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk also had solid games, but in the end it was just nowhere near enough.

Struggles from the 3 point line (25 per cent) and from the free throw line (69 per cent) also was a factor in their loss, as New Zealand shot an impressive 43.9 per cent from three, and 100 per cent from the free throw line. Moving forward as the wait for William Hickey and Sam Froling continues, the Hawks will need to do without them and focus on winning games with who they have.

Cairns Taipans (77) def. by Perth Wildcats (80)

In a star-studded matchup, the Wildcats ran away with the victory in a nail biting display at Cairns Convention Centre. The Taipans have struggled throughout the early stages, and while they did have two wins they have also faced devastating losses by more than 30 points, against the SEM Phoenix and also Bryce Cotton‘s Adelaide 36ers. Perth was looking to secure their third victory of NBL26, and Cairns was just the team to beat. 

Jo Lual-Acuil showed out with a dominant display, scoring 30 points and securing 10 rebounds, further proving him as one of the best players in the competition. Dylan Windler has stepped up into a new role this season, and showed what he is capable of with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 73 per cent efficiency.

New signing Mason Jones has struggled so far, as he is still adjusting to the physicality of the NBL but once he does adapt to the league, there’s no questioning that the NBA G League finals MVP will be a superb replacement for Cotton. 

Jack McVeigh has faced some struggles with Cairns as he has been tasked with a more on ball role, which he is still adapting to. Scoring wise, his nine points were simply not enough for the squad, as someone needed to step up and be the number-one option for Cairns.

The answer was Andrew Andrews, who finished with 21 points, although he was struggling from the field, shooting 33 per cent. Admiral Schofield also chipped in with a solid 16-point performance, and a double double from new signing Marcus Lee was helpful but not enough.

The main struggle Cairns faced was through its bench players not being able to step up to standard, with the entire unit just eight points. While Perth was able to walk away with the triumph, there’s no doubt that the Taipans can continue to learn from their mistakes, and keep improving as there is no question that they have talent to be a contender, the team just needs to click and adapt to one another.