THE STATE of play in the National Basketball League (NBL) was shaken up once again over the weekend, with Round 12 of the 2024/25 season delivering another crucial batch of results.

The ladder is extremely tight in the back half of the fixture, and the events of the weekend ensured that trend looks to continue after seven games took place from Thursday to Sunday.

As is the case every week, Rookie Me Central will be providing a game-by-game rundown of the weekend’s action and how it has affected the race for the finals.

New Zealand Breakers (76) def. by Tasmania JackJumpers (100)

The Breakers’ stunning slide down the standings continued on Thursday, falling to the surging JackJumpers by 24 points at Eventfinda Stadium. Tassie dominated from the opening tip, continuing to find form after a slow start to the season on the offensive end, hitting triple figures in this contest. On the other hand, it marked New Zealand’s fifth consecutive loss as the team continues to drop after previously sitting in second spot.

Import guard Jordan Crawford came off the bench for the second time in his career, and dominated the first half, with 22 points prior to the main break en route to 24 for the match. It could mark a new role for the explosive scorer, who has proven to be among the best scorers in the game when at the top of his game. Recent Breakers recruit Tacko Fall had his most productive game since joining the team with 16 points on a perfect 6/6 shooting.

Top performers:
Jordan Crawford (TAS) – 24 points, three rebounds, four assists
Tacko Fall (NZ) – 16 points, four rebounds, one block

Brisbane Bullets (116) def. SEM Phoenix (108)

The Bullets kept rolling with their third win on the trot, this time defeating the Phoenix by eight points at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday night. Brisbane has looked much better in recent weeks, playing with a much faster pace and reaching triple figures in each of its last three clashes. The home side outscored the Phoenix 34-25 in the final term to storm home and claim an impressive victory against a valiant opposition.

For the Bullets, Keandre Cook led the way on the offensive end, posting a game-high 33 points on 9/14 shooting from the field and 5/8 shooting from behind the arc in an excellent scoring performance. He worked well in tandem with big man Tyrell Harrison, who has found some serious form of late and delivered again with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds in an emphatic showing.

Top performers:
Keandre Cook (BRI) – 33 points, five rebounds, four assists
Tyrell Harrison (BRI) – 23 points, 12 rebounds

Melbourne United (93) def. by Illawarra Hawks (106)

The Hawks moved to top spot in the standings after defeating United by 13 points at John Cain Arena on Friday night. Melbourne had occupied that position over recent weeks, but now slides down to second spot after being bested by the Hawks in a gritty performance. After United got off to a hot start shooting the ball, the Hawks looked to push the ball inside and gained ascendancy from there, claiming one of their most impressive wins of NBL25.

The game broke open in the third term when big man Sam Froling took charge and exposed Melbourne’s lack of interior defence. He posted 12 points in that period and helped Illawarra gain an advantage on the scoreboard. Froling finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in one of the most aggressive outings of his career. He combined well with Tyler Harvey, who top scored with 31 points, seven boards and four dimes.

Top performers:
Sam Froling (ILL) – 20 points, 11 rebounds
Tyler Harvey (ILL) – 31 points, seven rebounds, four assists

Adelaide 36ers (111) def. New Zealand Breakers (94)

The Sixers got some troops back and got back on the winners’ list, making life even worse for the Breakers at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday evening. With Montrezl Harrell rejoining the team after serving his suspension, Adelaide looked back to its best with a 17-point win at home over the weekend, while it marked New Zealand’s sixth consecutive loss and alarm bells are certainly ringing.

It was the star duo of Kendric Davis and Harrell that proved to be the difference for Adelaide, with the pair showing just how important they are to their team. Davis posted a whopping 36 points to go with five rebounds and nine assists, while Harrell was back in form with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists of his own.

Top performers:
Kendric Davis (ADL) – 36 points, five rebounds, nine assists
Montrezl Harrell (ADL) – 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists

Cairns Taipans (92) def. by Perth Wildcats (128)

The Bryce Cotton show continued on Saturday night, with the star guard again leading the Wildcats to victory, this time to the tune of 36 points against the Taipans at the Cairns Convention Centre. The home side was on top for a period of time early, before the MVP favourite found his record-breaking form once again and tore the game to shreds to ensure the Wildcats continued their march towards a top-two spot in the standings.

Cotton became the first player in 30 years to record 40+ points in four consecutive games, this time posting 44 against the Taipans in a ridiculously strong performance once again. He erupted in the final three quarters after being held to just four points in the opening period and finished the game shooting 17/27 from the field, 3/6 from behind the arc and 7/8 from the charity stripe to go with six assists.

Top performers:
Bryce Cotton (PER) – 44 points, six assists
Rob Edwards (CNS) – 24 points, eight assists

SEM Phoenix (109) def. Melbourne United (97)

The Phoenix have made it two in a row in Throwdown matches, defeating United by 12 points at John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon. It was a second half masterclass from South East Melbourne, outscoring Melbourne by 20 in the final two quarters in an excellent display after an underwhelming start to the game. The result sees Melbourne a strong chance to drop out of the top two in the coming weeks, while the Phoenix remained in sixth spot after breaking even from their two games.

Import forward Matt Hurt kept his good form going with another great scoring performance, posting a game-high 28 points to go with six rebounds as he maintains his standing as one of the most damaging players in the NBL. Jordan Hunter (23 points, eight rebounds) and Nathan Sobey (22 points, seven assists) also played strong games.

Top performers:
Matt Hurt (SEM) – 28 points, six rebounds
Jordan Hunter (SEM) – 23 points, eight rebounds

Sydney Kings (93) def. Brisbane Bullets (81)

It was another defensive masterclass from the Kings, who put a stop to the Bullets’ winning streak to claim a 12-point victory at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. Brisbane was one of the form teams of the competition coming into the game, but again, Sydney found the ability to take away its pace and scoring power and simply did enough to get the job done, with the result decided in a dominant fourth term. Despite trailing heading into the final 10 minutes, the Kings outscored the Bullets 27-8 to close out the match. It is hard to think of a team that is better placed to make a run at the championship in the coming months than the Kings, and another win helped them climb the ladder.

Big man Xavier Cooks delivered a signature balanced performance in the win over the Bullets, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, doing a bit of everything to ensure the Kings took home the win. Cooks paired well with Jaylen Adams, who had a game-high 32 points along with 32 points, two rebounds and four assists.

Top performers:
Xavier Cooks (SYD) – 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists
Jaylen Adams (SYD) – 32 points, two rebounds, four assists