THE NATIONAL Basketball League (NBL) will kick off Round 8 of the 2024/25 season with a double-header on Thursday night in a bumper start to the weekend’s action.

Four sides looking to bounce back after a loss will make up the night’s play, with the Brisbane Bullets hosting Melbourne United and the Tasmania JackJumpers heading out west to take on the Perth Wildcats in a pair of intriguing matchups.

Given how much the ladder can change each week, every game carries heavy significance in the race for a top-six spot, and with all of tonight’s teams coming off defeats, the matches will also be massive for momentum.

The first game of the night sees the Bullets take on United at Nissan Arena. Brisbane led by as much as 12 points in the final term of their clash against the Cairns Taipans, but ended up coughing up their double-digit buffer. Brisbane has been in a winning position in its last two matches, and has not truly capitalised on a nice start to its fixture. However, knocking off Melbourne would be a statement performance and certainly help the Bullets rejoin the race for the finals.

Although Brisbane has not been able to get on the winners’ list in the last fortnight, the form of James Batemon has been a shining light. The import has proven to be a reliable number-one scoring option of late, surpassing 20 points in his last two outings and nearly dragging the Bullets to victory. Expect him to play a key role once again.

Melbourne was the form team of the NBL for a while, jumping up to top spot in the standings on the back of some convincing wins. However, United was blown out by a red-hot New Zealand Breakers side at John Cain Arena on Monday night. It was their heaviest ever defeat at the venue, but they will be hopeful it was an exception rather than the rule.

Although United had some heavy personnel changes over the off-season, the return of NBA Champion Jack White has been a masterful move. The forward is one of the strongest MVP candidates this season, consistently producing double-doubles and being able to score at a decent clip as well. He should be a heavy presence on the glass against Brisbane and will take some stopping.

The second match of the round takes place in Western Australia, with the Wildcats playing host to the JackJumpers later in the night.

Perth’s season looked in dire straits when star point guard and reigning MVP Bryce Cotton was ruled out indefinitely with a broken rib. It left a gaping hole in the Wildcats’ offence, but the team has been able to knock off some quality opponents in his absence, including the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks. However, they were convincingly bested by the SEM Phoenix on Sunday and will be eager to prevent that from being a trend.

The Wildcats would have been thrilled by the breakout performance from Ben Henshall in their win over Illawarra last week. The talented youngster delivered 26 points and six assists in a starring role for the winning Wildcats, but he was much quieter in the loss to the Phoenix, so look for him to bounce back and show maturity.

One of the biggest talking points of the 2024/25 season to date has been the performance of the JackJumpers, who have slid down the ladder to ninth spot heading into Round 8. Tasmania’s inability to score has been a true detriment to its performances, and it came to a season-low in a 28-point loss to the Kings last weekend, restricted to just 60 points for the match.

The JackJumpers have not seen enough from backcourt duo Jordan Crawford and Milton Doyle so far this season. The pair were championship-winners last year and played a crucial role in the postseason, but have struggled with inefficiency in 2024/25, so they will need to lift their offensive production if Tasmania is to get a much-needed win.