THE National Basketball League (NBL)’s 2023/24 season is well and truly underway now, with the fourth round of action taking place over the weekend.

The season is already one-fifth completed, and the shape of the competition is starting to form as title contenders and MVP favourites begin to produce strong performances on a consistent basis. Once again, there were a few upsets around the NBL, in another display of how even the competition has been over the first month of play.

Rookie Me Central‘s weekly As It Stands series continues this week, unpacking each game and how all the action went down, kicking off with Thursday’s game at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

As It Stands

Adelaide 36ers (85) def. by SEM Phoenix (102)

The Phoenix kicked things off for Round 4 with a solid win over a valiant 36ers side on the road on Thursday. Adelaide had strong patches of the match, matching it with South East Melbourne in the first and third quarters, but a 26-14 second term proved defining, as the visitors cruised to a 17-point win to make it two on the trot.

Star big man Alan Williams was immense on his return from injury, posting 15 points and 13 rebounds in his first game of the season, while Mitch Creek (23 points, 9/14 FG) and Gary Browne (19 points, eight assists) were impactful. For the 36ers, Trey Kell III top-scored with 21 points, while Dejan Vasiljevic was involved offensively in his first match in an Adelaide jersey.

Illawarra Hawks (91) def. by Melbourne United (101)

Illawarra’s struggles continued as it fell to a red-hot Melbourne side that did enough to get the job done at WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday night. United maintained its spot as title heavyweights in the early stages of the season, and although it was not pretty at times, managed to get the job done against the Hawks.

Despite the return of Jo Lual Acuil, NBL Next Star Ariel Hukporti was Melbourne’s best player in the win, completely owning the paint and showing there will be genuine competition for big man minutes. He finished the game with 21 points (6/7 FG), 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Illawarra import Gary Clark nearly posted a double-double himself with 17 points and nine boards.

SEM Phoenix (96) def. Brisbane Bullets (73)

The Phoenix capped off a perfect weekend with a big win over the Bullets in front of a pleased crowd at John Cain Arena on Saturday afternoon. South East Melbourne led all game, continuing a resurgence following a slump to start the fixture. Meanwhile, the Bullets have been unable to maintain their early-season form and will need to mix things up ahead of their next game on Friday night.

Williams was again the man of the moment for the Phoenix, showing he has not missed a beat despite an extended period on the sidelines. ‘The Big Sauce’ posted a game-high 21 points in just 19 minutes, taking advantage of the absence of Aron Baynes for the opposition, while Ben Ayre overcame an injury cloud to deliver 16 points off the bench. Isaac White caught the eye for the Bullets with 14 points of his own from the bench.

Adelaide 36ers (89) def. Perth Wildcats (78)

The upset of the round took place at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday night, with the 36ers recording their second win in as many weeks, and stunning the NBL with an 11-point win over the Wildcats. Adelaide stormed home in the final term, outscoring the opposition 22-13 to move up the standings. On the other hand, it is alarm bells for the Wildcats, who have now slumped to eighth spot after two wins from six games.

The 36ers could not have got the job done without the performance of Isaac Humphries, who was immense for the winning side and showing why the team heavily recruited him over the off-season. He posted a game-high 26 points (12/17 FG), eight rebounds, one assist and three steals in 32 minutes, after receiving just 15 the game before.

Melbourne United (97) def. New Zealand Breakers (88)

Although they pushed the ladder-leaders at stages of the match, the Breakers fell to United by 11 points in their first game back in the NBL since their trip to the United States. New Zealand led in the third quarter, but United delivered when it mattered down the stretch, moving to six wins and one loss on the season.

Veteran sharpshooter Chris Goulding was the match-winning factor for United, knocking down a pair of vital three-pointers in the final term to go 4/5 from behind the arc en route to 16 points. Teammate Ian Clark was immense as well, delivering 18 points and the dagger in the final stages of the game. New Zealand recruit Zylan Cheatham was excellent in defeat, posting a whopping 30 points in a breakout game.

Sydney Kings (95) def. by Tasmania JackJumpers (105)

The JackJumpers bounced back from last week’s loss to defeat the reigning champions by 10 points at Qudos Bank Arena in the final game of the round on Sunday. Tasmania delivered a signature victory on the road against one of the form sides of the competition, breaking away early and holding off the Kings to silence the crowd in Sydney.

Continuing his status as one of the strongest performing players in the competition, guard Jordan Crawford was as good as anyone in Round 4, posting 32 points, including 14 points in the span of 2:21 in the fourth term. It was a tremendous offensive performance, and his best of the season to date. He and teammate Milton Doyle have emerged as potentially the best one-two punch in the competition, making Tassie a tantalising prospect.

Ladder

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