AFTER 20 rounds of play, season 2024/25 of the National Basketball League (NBL) comes to a close this weekend, but the shape of the top six is far from decided, with the final batch of games set to provide a definitive ranking of teams.

The round began last night, with the Illawarra Hawks getting the job done against the New Zealand Breakers, producing a 16-point win to lock in top spot at season’s end for the first time in club history. The Hawks will now head into the postseason as the championship favourite, but the remainder of the top-six will lie on this weekend’s results.

The clash between the Cairns Taipans and the Brisbane Bullets will be a dead rubber, as will Cairns’ second clash of the week down in Tasmania against the JackJumpers, so it all comes down to three games over the next two days.

Another installment of the rivalry between the Hawks and the Sydney Kings will kick off the action on Friday night, and while Illawarra’s position is already cemented, the hosts at WIN Entertainment Centre will still know the match carries heavy significance in where the Kings finish.

If Sydney wins, depending on other results (we’ll get to that in a moment), it could move up to fourth and secure a double-chance in the play-in, surpassing the SEM Phoenix. However, lose, and the Kings will instead face off against the Adelaide 36ers in a do-or-die clash, so a second life is on the line for the team from the Harbour City.

Also taking place on Friday night is a matchup between the Sixers and the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena, and although Adelaide’s position’s will not move (unless the JackJumpers win by an enormous amount and make up about three per cent in their clash against the Taipans), with sixth spot locked in. However, the Wildcats are still in the hunt for a top-two berth, which has become invaluable since the introduction of the play-in, securing a semi-final spot.

The Wildcats will have home court advantage, and have the tools to get the job done here. However, they will still be reliant on Melbourne United losing the final game of the round, while the Wildcats will need to make up 1.15 per cent on the ladder too, but defeating the Sixers is a good start to advancing straight through to the semi-final.

The final clash of the round will likely have the biggest say of how the top six looks heading into the play-in, with the Phoenix and United locking horns for another installment of the Throwdown series between these two sides. Both South East Melbourne and Melbourne will likely be reliant on this result to secure the best possible spot, so the stakes will be high.

If the Phoenix get the job done, it locks in fourth spot at least and they could move as high as third if Adelaide topples Perth, given South East Melbourne has a better percentage. If United win (and the Wildcats won the night before by a significant margin), Melbourne will finish inside the top two and host a semi-final.