THE Adelaide 36ers will make their first appearance in NBL 2019/20 as numerous juicy matchups headline round 2. We take a look at the five games across the weekend.

BRISBANE BULLETS vs. CAIRNS TAIPANS
Friday, October 11, 7.30pm
Queensland State Netball Centre

The round opens with the Bullets and Taipans locking horns in the all-Queensland clash. The Bullets were able to quell the LaMelo Ball hype with a 9-point win over Illawarra last Sunday and will be aiming to make it two wins on the trot as they gear up for a two-game weekend. They’ll be looking for strong performances from Lamar Paterson and Nathan Sobey, who led the Bullets in scoring against the Hawks. For the Taipans, they lost their season opener to Sydney and will certainly be looking to bounce back after failing to defend their home court. The Taipans outscored the Kings by eight points in the opening quarter, but they were outscored by a staggering 14 points in the final term which saw them fail to hold on to their six-point lead. Kouat Noi and Scott Machado will need to back up their strong showings in Round 1 as the Taipans will want to get on to the winners’ list as soon as possible to avoid a repeat of their wooden spoon last season – and there’s no better opportunity than to do it against their state rivals.

PERTH WILDCATS vs. ILLAWARRA HAWKS
Friday, October 11, 9.30pm
RAC Arena

The Wildcats host the Hawks for their second home game to open up their season, and they will be looking to make it two wins on the trot when they welcome LaMelo Ball’s side tonight. The Wildcats had do to do it tough last Saturday night against Melbourne United, coming from behind to start their campaign with a 1-point win. Dynamic duo Bryce Cotton and Terrico White were dominant in the win, and will be looking to replicate their 41-point haul against a Hawks side who will be hungry to taste their first win of the season. Illawarra clashed with the Bullets last weekend and despite strong showing from Aaron Brooks and NBA prospect Ball, they were unable to get a first round win. Both players will need to be at their best however if they want to achieve the toughest task in the NBL – a road win against the might of the Wildcats.

SYDNEY KINGS vs. ADELAIDE 36ers
Saturday, October 12, 5.30pm
Qudos Bank Arena

Sydney will be looking to build from their performance in round 1 as the host the 36ers who play their first NBL 2019/20 game after playing against the Utah Jazz last week. This matchup is particularly spicy as Jerome Randle will officially mark his return to the 36ers in an NBL match, after previously playing for the Kings after his first stint in Adelaide. The two-time 36ers Most Valuable Player led the way for his side with 18 points in their trying loss against the NBA’s Jazz and will need to do so again agains this former side. The Kings on the other hand were led by stars Casper Ware, Kevin Lisch and Andrew Bogut in their first round road win over Illawara. They looked like the real deal against the Hawks and look like they will be one of the favourites for this season’s Championship. This Saturday’s matchup against the 36ers poises as a great opportunity to continue on from last week and get their season off to the perfect start.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX vs. BRISBANE BULLETS
Sunday, October 13, 3pm
Melbourne Arena

South East Melbourne will play their first home game since their inception as they host the Bullets. The Phoenix could not have asked for a better start in their debut outing after they held off a resurgent fightback from cross-town rivals Melbourne United to prevail by three points. Mitch Creek’s 28 points and 11 rebounds led the way for the Phoenix, who will want the former NBA player to build from that performance as they make their mark in the NBL. John Roberson put in 20 points despite being limited due to getting into early foul trouble, so if he is able to stay clear of that this weekend, the Phoenix will have a strong ace up their sleeves. For the Bullets, it will be their second game of the round as they will be returning from a Friday night matchup against their state rivals the Cairns Taipans.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS vs. CAIRNS TAIPANS
Monday, October 14, 7:30pm
WIN Entertainment Centre

In the final game of the round, all eyes will be on Ball yet again as he suits up for their second match of the round. The match will also be the Taipans’ second of the round, with both sides playing on Friday night against the Brisbane Bullets and Perth Wildcats respectively. Both suffered first round losses and will be looking to bounce back on Friday night despite facing two difficult tasks. Should they both falter under the Friday night lights, then this matchup will pose as the perfect opportunity for either to open up their win account for the new season. Ball, Brooks and AJ Ogilvy will need to have strong outings for the Hawks, as will Noi, Scott Machado and Cameron Oliver for the Taipans.