THERE has been plenty of exciting action in the National Basketball League (NBL) over the New Year period, and that trend continued with even more enthralling games taking place from Thursday to Sunday.

Round 14 of the 2023/24 fixture saw the league return to its regularly scheduled programming, after 11 consecutive days of games between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Things kicked off on Thursday and ended on Sunday afternoon, with some unpredictable results blowing things wide open as the fixture cruises into the final portion of the season.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will continue its As It Stands series, unpacking all the action from the round and what it means moving forward.

As It Stands

Sydney Kings (85) def. by Melbourne United (101)

The top-two sides in the NBL locked horns at Qudos Bank Arena on Thursday night, and it was the ladder-leaders that emerged victorious.

United produced an excellent shooting performance, making 38 of their 75 attempts from the field for the match, and despite trailing at half time, broke the game open with a 35-19 third term to cruise home to a 16-point triumph.

In a balanced scoring performance, it was Melbourne’s guards that got the job done in the win, with Shea Ili (19 points, three assists) and Matthew Dellavedova (16 points, six rebounds, nine assists) proving too much for Sydney. For the Kings, Shaun Bruce stood tall with 16 points and five assists.

Illawarra Hawks (116) def. SEM Phoenix (78)

The Hawks continue to firm as arguably the most damaging offensive side in the NBL after the appointment of Justin Tatum, handing the Phoenix a whopping 38-point loss at WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday night.

Illawarra has gone 5-2 since the coaching change, and utilised its unstoppable offence to stunningly move up to fifth spot in the standings.

It is hard to pick a standout for the Hawks in such a dominant team performance, but it was certainly the big three of Sam Froling (20 points, 9/9 FG), Justin Robinson (19 points, 7/11 FG) and Gary Clark (16 points, 13 rebounds, four assists) that led from the front, and will be tough to contain moving forward.

Tasmania JackJumpers (103) def. Cairns Taipans (86)

The JackJumpers bounced back from a loss earlier in the week to claim a 17-point triumph over the Taipans at MyState Bank Arena on Saturday evening.

The trend of home sides winning continued over the weekend, as Tasmania returned to contending status with a convincing performance in the first three quarters on its home deck.

Most Valuable Player contender Milton Doyle was back to his best with a game-high 31 points in an explosive offensive outing. He went 14/26 from the field and an impressive 13/19 from two-point territory, which could spark some more game-winning performances.

Adelaide 36ers (100) def. Melbourne United (96)

Saturday night’s action continued with the upset of the season, as the bottom-placed 36ers handed the top-of-the-table United a four-point loss at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

In front of a record crowd, Adelaide held on as Melbourne produced a late-game charge to try and spoil the party, but the home side had done too much work earlier in the game and delivered their most impressive win in recent memory.

Star guard Dejan Vasiljevic was the spark that got the 36ers out to an early lead, registering 15 of his 30 points in the opening quarter and was a massive factor in the result of the match. Trey Kell III was also influential, posting a double-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

New Zealand Breakers (102) def. by Perth Wildcats (108)

The Wildcats had to endure the biggest road trip possible in the NBL, but managed to conjure the first away win of the round as they headed to Spark Arena to defeat the Breakers by six points on Sunday afternoon. Perth rallied behind its big names and managed to recover from a slow first half to climb up to second spot on the ladder.

League superstar Bryce Cotton may have sewn up the MVP race with his performance in this game, continuing his unbelievable form with 31 points, three rebounds and two assists in 40 minutes of play. When at his best, there is not a single player in the NBL that can match the three-time MVP, and he further demonstrated that on Sunday.

Sydney Kings (93) def. by Brisbane Bullets (101)

The round closed out with yet another upset result, as the Kings were handed a second consecutive home loss, this time at the hands of the Bullets and to the tune of eight points. A 29-15 second period was the defining patch of the game, with the Kings once again suffering lapses on both ends and the Bullets made them pay as they firm for a play-in spot.

Typically when the Bullets get the job done, Nathan Sobey is heavily involved, and that was no exception here. The veteran guard managed a game-high 27 points, and showed that his scoring ability is going nowhere with age. For the Kings, Jaylen Adams had 21 points and eight assists in a valiant display.

Ladder

1. Melbourne United (15-5)
2. Perth Wildcats (12-7)
3. Tasmania JackJumpers (11-9)
4. Sydney Kings (10-10)
5. Illawarra Hawks (8-9)
6. Brisbane Bullets (9-11)
7. SEM Phoenix (9-11)
8. New Zealand Breakers (8-10)
9. Cairns Taipans (9-12)
10. Adelaide 36ers (6-13)