THE weekend is just around the corner, which means it’s time to prepare for another round of the National Basketball League (NBL). Round 11 kicks off on Thursday night, with seven matches taking place between now and Sunday, as the competition continues its ‘All In’ campaign, which features a stacked schedule of games moving forward. Last round saw the ladder receive quite a shuffle, with the competition’s youngest club making the shock leap into the top four. If the first 10 rounds are anything to go by, this will not be the last surprising move this year, and with some big matchups this weekend, it could happen sooner rather than later.

Proceedings for Round 11 will begin on Thursday night, when the SEM Phoenix hosting the Sydney Kings at John Cain Arena in a very exciting matchup to start the weekend’s action in style.

The Phoenix broke even from their two outings in Round 10, with one win and one loss next to their name. They were well and truly bested by the Wildcats with the margin sitting at over 20 points in the end. It was a real wake-up call for the Phoenix, and they responded in style by taking down the Hawks in a thriller a few days later. They will be without the services of Xavier Munford this time around thanks to COVID protocols, but this side has shown enough star power in the past to still enter this match with confidence.

The Kings have quietly been on a roll lately, stringing together a few wins over recent weeks. Like their opponents this week, they emerged victorious in one of their two matches last round. They were shocked by the in-form JackJumpers to start the round, but bounced back strongly at home against the Breakers to continue their charge towards the top four. They face a formidable opponent this week, but have shown enough in the last month to give themselves a red-hot chance in this contest, especially if Jaylen Adams can continue his MVP-calibre form.

This week’s Friday night matchup sees the Adelaide 36ers travel up north to take on the Brisbane Bullets at Nissan Arena, with both sides eager to get back on the winners’ list at the conclusion of this contest.

The Bullets found themselves on the end of a bit of an upset in Round 10 as they were outperformed by a hungrier Taipans side on Saturday. They will be looking to bounce back against Adelaide, but will need to drastically improve their form if they are to do just that. Robert Franks was nearly a one-man show in the loss, so they will be hopeful that his teammates can provide him some more support this time. They will also be looking to tighten up their defensive structures, given they conceded over 100 points against Cairns.

The 36ers were once again struck down by COVID-related chaos in Round 10, with their matchup eventually postponed for safety reasons. Their last outing was their shock win over the reigning premiers, so they will be optimistic about returning to this form against the Bullets. They will have to overcome a slight bit of rust given they weren’t given a hitout last round, but if they can move past this and Dusty Hannahs can continue his red-hot form, it will hold them in good stead in this matchup.

The Illawarra Hawks will be looking to get themselves back into their early-season form when they take on the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday evening.

The Hawks have won just two of their last seven games, and now have a losing record at home, which is a far cry from how they started the 2021/22 season. This slump has seen them drop out of the top-four, replaced by the red-hot JackJumpers, so a win in this clash is crucial in the context of their season. They will enter this clash as favourites, but the Taipans are fresh off a win over the Bullets, so this certainly looms as a danger game. A big area of improvement will be their offence, as they look to find a consistent avenue to scoring.

The Taipans were able to get the better of the Bullets in the Queensland-battle last round, claiming an impressive win on the road. It was the best they have looked all season, with multiple players scoring 25+ points despite their scoring being a major issue of concern at times this season. They face a tougher opponent this time around, but will be able to ride the confidence from last week into this clash, and the Hawks have shown to be beatable of late. If they can get another good score out of Bul Kuol and Majok Deng, then they may well produce another match-winning total.

In what may be the match of the round, Melbourne United will host the red-hot Perth Wildcats at John Cain Arena on Saturday night, with the match shaping up to be a real clash of the titans.

The reigning champions have shown to be a beatable opponent over recent weeks, and are in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Both of these losses have come against lower-ranked teams (although the JackJumpers have since moved up the ladder with their win over United), so they will certainly need to improve against one of the championship favourites. They will be looking to keep the ball moving into Jo Lual Acuil‘s hands after his 29-point, 21-rebound outing last round.

The Wildcats have been firing on all cylinders for the most part of the 2021/22 season, moving up to the top of the ladder in recent weeks. Their offence has been as dynamic as ever, constantly posting winning scores against some of the competition’s strongest defences. They come up against a stuttering United side, so will be confident in their ability to get the job done, especially with the emergence of Luke Travers in Round 10.

Another anticipated clash for Round 11 will see the Tasmania JackJumpers travel across the Bass Strat to take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix at John Cain Arena, with both teams in form of late. This will be the Phoenix’s second outing of the round.

The JackJumpers have arguably been the form team of the competition, with the league’s newest side producing a selfless style of play that has brought undone some of the NBL’s premier sides. They took down the Kings to kick off Round 10, before stunning their peers with a big win over the reigning champions on Sunday, moving in to the top four thanks to other results. They come up against one of the strongest performing sides this season, but given their current form, why can’t they keep their winning streak rolling?

The penultimate match of Round 11 will see the Sydney Kings play host to the Brisbane Bullets at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. This will be the second outing of the round for both of these sides.

The final match of the round sees the Cairns Taipans host the New Zealand Breakers at the Cairns Convention Centre on Monday night. This will be the second match of the round for the Taipans.

The Breakers have been quite inconsistent in recent weeks, unable to put together a winning streak in this time. They have shown strong signs at times, such as their big win over the Hawks to kick off Round 10. On the other hand, they have also been susceptible to very quiet games. They were convincingly beaten by the Kings a few days after their big win, displaying the duality of their form. Safe to say they will be looking to bounce back against the Taipans, but will need to put together a true four-quarter performance.