THE 13th round of the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season kicks off with a blockbuster matchup tonight, with the Adelaide 36ers heading to New South Wales to take on the in-form Sydney Kings.

Both teams are in strong form of late, claiming impressive wins over fellow contenders in recent weeks to set up a blockbuster matchup in the Ignite Cup tonight. The Kings will be hosting the Sixers at Qudos Bank Arena for some Wednesday night hoops that could be a true preview of some postseason action in the coming months.

With the visitors sitting atop the standings and Sydney fresh off a pair of gutsy wins in a tough Round 12 fixture, tonight’s encounter could seriously shape the top four moving forward and will be headlined by a serious amount of star power.

Sydney Kings vs. Adelaide 36ers

Qudos Bank Arena
Wednesday, December 17 @ 7:30pm

The Kings faced a tough test over the weekend, with a pair of matchups against two finals heavyweights in the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United over the span of a few days. However, Sydney was able to stamp its own championship credentials with a pair of confidence-boosting wins that moved the team from the Harbour City into the top four.

Firstly, the Kings were absolutely dominant against the Wildcats out west, recording their biggest win at RAC Arena and looking a class above the Wildcats, which may be crucial come finals time. Then, Sydney travelled to Melbourne to take on a struggling United side, and although it was a gritty match that was less than pretty at times, the Kings found a way to win ugly in overtime.

Superstar guard Kendric Davis has been on a tear of late for his new team, putting the Kings on his back offensively over the past two wins and gets the chance to shine once again. The import is currently second in the competition in points per game at 23.3, but faces his biggest opponent tonight. If he can lead the Kings to a third straight win, it will bump him up in the MVP race.

The Sixers have taken advantage of United’s slump in form and moved to the top of the standings, now sitting a few games clear of second spot and firming as championship favourites. With a record of 14 wins and three losses, Adelaide has proven to be the best team in the competition so far this season, and will look to fend off any challengers.

Adelaide faced a big challenge on Friday night, but got the job done against Melbourne to show there is a gap between the Sixers and the remainder of the competition. They will come up against another strong team tonight, but they have shown the class and talent to defeat other contenders of late.

Despite being 33 years of age, there is still no better player in the NBL than Bryce Cotton, who remains the favourite for the MVP. As mentioned above, Davis is making a fair claim to be the top player in the competition, so the five-time MVP will be eager to maintain his title and lead Adelaide to a 15th win on the road.