THE NEWLY formed Ignite Cup continues in the National Basketball League (NBL) continues tonight, with the Tasmania JackJumpers welcoming the Sydney Kings to MyState Bank Arena for some Wednesday night hoops.

The Ignite Cup is the NBL’s new in-season tournament, with all 10 teams competing over several Wednesday nights for the major share in a prize pool of $400,000. Last week’s action saw the New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United claim wins in some entertaining clashes, and that trend should continue tonight.

With the JackJumpers starting the season in solid form and the Kings fresh off their most impressive win of the fixture to date, Wednesday night’s encounter could go right down to the wire across the Bass Strait to kick off another week of action.

Tasmania JackJumpers vs. Sydney Kings

MyState Bank Arena
Wednesday, October 15 @ 7:30pm

Despite losing some massive names over the offseason, the JackJumpers have recruited well in recent months, and it has resulted in a positive start to the 2025/26 fixture. Tasmania has won three of five games heading into its first Ignite Cup match, and will be looking to stay in touch with the top four with another win tonight.

The JackJumpers are coming off an away loss at the hands of the Adelaide 36ers last week, marking the last match of a four-game road trip, and will be keen to bounce back at home and put the pressure back on the Kings with their trademark physical style of play, which has stacked up against quality opponents over the first four weeks.

There is arguably no one more important on Tasmania’s roster than Will Magnay, with the big man anchoring the team’s defence whenever he hits the floor. The JackJumpers captain is one of the best defenders in the NBL, and will be coming up against a weaker frontcourt tonight, so if he can stamp his authority in the paint, it is a huge tick for the home side.

Having added some star power over the offseason themselves, the Kings have been quietly going about their business to start the fixture. However, it all culminated in a terrific win over the Sixers in Adelaide last weekend, fully announcing that Sydney is just as dangerous as anyone when it comes to the race for the championship.

That performance was built on the back of excellent ball denial to Bryce Cotton, with the Kings not letting the five-time MVP get going early by not giving him any space to start possessions. It was a masterful defensive performance from Sydney and was the blueprint for knocking off one of the form teams of the competition.

That same level of defensive attention will likely come into effect against JackJumpers star Bryce Hamilton, who has been putting together an electric campaign during his first season in the NBL. The Kings will be eager to keep him off the ball as much as possible, and if they can force the opposition to find other methods of scoring, it will help the visitors get the job done.