AFTER an interrupted Round 6 saw just one match go ahead, the National Basketball League (NBL) looks set to resume scheduled programming for this week. With COVID-related issues popping up across Australian sporting leagues over the last month, the NBL was the latest casualty of this. All but one outing was forced into postponement last weekend, but things appear to have settled this time around (knock on wood), and the round is set to kick off on Thursday night, with the Illawarra Hawks and the Sydney Kings set to face off in the first of seven clashes for the round.

The opening match of Round 7 sees the Freeway Series resume, with the Sydney Kings travelling to WIN Entertainment Centre to take on the Illawarra Hawks on Thursday night in what is shaping up to be another heated chapter in this rivalry.

The Sydney Kings have shown some good form at times throughout the season, but have also lacked the consistency to turn this into a winning record to date. They have broken even so far this season, with three wins and three losses coming from their opening six games. Their best is capable of beating anyone, as demonstrated by their strong win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix, however this type of performance is not produced on a weekly basis, and they can go missing for patches of games. In positive news for the side, they will be regaining the services of RJ Hunter and Jaylen Adams, which should boost their chances of emerging victorious.

The Illawarra Hawks have been one of the most impressive teams to start the year, winning three of their first four games to find themselves in third spot on the ladder. Under renowned coach Brian Goorjian, the side has found a winning style of game that proves successful on both ends of the court. When these two sides faced off earlier in the season, big man Duop Reath dominated with 27 points and seven boards, so expect him to receive more attention this time around. However, the Hawks have plenty of capable scorers, so there may well be another who steps up to lead this team to victory.

Next on the fixture is the clash between the New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United, which is set to take place down in Tasmania at MyBank State Arena on Friday night, given it is a Breakers home game.

The Breakers have endured an incredibly tough season after being forced to likely play the entire season in Australia due to the current COVID situation separating the borders. However, in more promising news, the side was able to claim their first victory of the 2021/22 season in Round 6, taking down the Brisbane Bullets in the only match of the weekend. The Breakers had been threatening to cause an upset over the last few weeks and were finally able to get the job done. Expect the defence to pay plenty of attention to Yannick Wetzell, who was dominant in his side’s win against the Bullets.

Melbourne United appear to have put their season back on track over recent weeks after a shaky start to the season. The reigning champions lost their first two matches of the season and appeared to be suffering a title hangover, before the return of Chris Goulding revitalised the team on the offensive end and gave them another much-needed avenue to scoring. They have once again found themselves in the top four and will be heading into this match as favourites given the talent on their list.

Moving north, the Brisbane Bullets will play host to the South East Melbourne Phoenix when the two sides face off at Nissan Arena on Saturday evening.

The Bullets found themselves bested by the Breakers, who have struggled immensely to start the season. It was a disappointing loss for Brisbane to say the least, and their matchup this week does not get any easier. They face a serious contender on Saturday and will need to bring their absolute best if they are to cause an upset. This will begin with their stars such as Robert Franks, who struggled in last week’s loss and will be looking to bounce back with a strong offensive output against the Phoenix.

The Phoenix have been one of the strongest starters to the 2021/22 NBL season so far, winning three of their first four matches and finding a winning game style. They have the offense in players such as Mitch Creek (who is a serious MVP candidate), and the defence in Zhou Qi (who is likely leading the race for DPOY). It is evident that they will enter this match as favourites, but they have not played a match since their loss to the Kings on the 18th of December, so they will need to brush off the dust early in this match if they want to claim the win.

The next match of the round will see a top-four clash, with Melbourne United heading up to the WIN Entertainment Centre to take on the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday afternoon. This will be the second match of the round for both of these teams.

Heading over to Qudos Bank Arena, the Sydney Kings will welcome the New Zealand Breakers to their home turf when the two sides face off on Sunday afternoon. This will be each side’s second outing of round 7.

With a couple of days between games, the next scheduled clash will see the Perth Wildcats travel south to take on the Adelaide 36ers at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats have been the benchmark over the first six rounds of action, sitting on top of the ladder with a record of five wins and one loss from their first six matches. Apart from one overtime loss against the Bullets (which was surprising to say the least), Perth have not put a foot wrong and will be tough to keep out of the conversation of title favourites for the season. The duo of Bryce Cotton and Victor Law has proved unstoppable for much of the season, so expect them to be well and truly involved on Tuesday night.

The 36ers have not quite gotten off to the start they were hoping for, winning just two of their first five games to start their NBL22 campaign. These two victories have also come against the current bottom two sides, so they are yet to take a significant scalp. This match offers the opportunity to change that and shock the competition with one of the biggest upsets we have seen. However, they will need to bring their A-game on both ends of the court if they are to produce an unlikely win.

The final match of the round will see the New Zealand Breakers take on the Tasmania JackJumpers behind closed doors at MyState Bank Arena on Wednesday night. This will be the Breakers’ third match of the round.

The JackJumpers have showed signs of promise to start their maiden season in the NBL, winning two of their first seven clashes. Although the two wins have been exciting to watch, it is still obvious that this side has a fair way to go before taking the next step up the ladder. They get a chance to put a third victory next to their name this weekend, as they take on the only side that is below them in the standings, so expect the team from the Apple Isle to come out firing in their first match for quite some time.