WITH the weekend just around the corner, as is another round of the National Basketball League (NBL), much to the excitement of fans, players and staff. The competition enjoyed one of the most memorable rounds over the last few years, so fans will be on the edge of their seats heading into Round 3 of the 2021/22 season. With the ladder starting to take shape as the season progresses, the results of the upcoming matches will hold a fair bit of significance moving forward.

NBL Round 2:

The round’s action kicks off when the Sydney Kings travel to John Cain Arena to take on Melbourne United on Thursday night in what should be a thrilling match.

United have struggled to regain the heights they achieved last season, losing their first two matches to start their NBL22 season. Despite the addition of stars such as Matthew Dellavedova, United have been unable to grab their first victory, but will be hoping to change their fortunes this week. They will certainly benefit from the return of superstar forward Chris Goulding, who has missed the first two games due to injury. There is no secret amongst the league that Goulding is a key part of United’s offense, so they will absolutely be better off with him in the side. The question remains as to how long it will take for him to adjust and gel with the side after the offseason.

The Kings have changed their style of play this season, a necessary adjustment given the disappointing finish to last year, which saw them miss the postseason. They have moved to a much more chaotic style of play, with a reliance on fast-paced ball movement, and this has worked reasonably well. They defeated United when the two sides faced off in Round 1, but dropped their Round 2 clash against the Hawks. They will be looking to bounce back this week, but will need to tidy up their turnovers if they are to start the season 2-0 against last year’s champs.

The undefeated Illawarra Hawks will be looking to keep their win streak rolling when they face off against the New Zealand Breakers at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.

The Hawks have started the season in red-hot form, winning their first two matches against some quality opponents. Coach Brian Goorjian has been as good as ever at the helm, and is fresh off his 800th game as player/coach. The Hawks have been surprising everyone with their rise up the ladder, and will be confident heading into their clash against a struggling Breakers side. There will be plenty of eyes on Hawks big man Duop Reath, who has started the season in remarkable form and would be one of the front-runners for the MVP race, so expect him to have a fair say on the outcome of this match.

The Breakers have shown promising signs over the first two weeks, but are yet to claim their first win. With a side stacked full of young talent such as William McDowell-White and Hugo Besson, this drought cannot last forever, so it is only a matter of time until they take their first scalp of the season, it is just a matter of when. They have proven competitive, even against the Phoenix last week, and will be confident in their ability to steal a win. However, they face tough competition this week, but if Besson and co. are firing, they might just do the unlikely and finally get some runs on the board.

In a rematch of last weekend’s double overtime thriller, the Perth Wildcats will be hoping to make amends when they take on the Brisbane Bullets at RAC Arena on Friday night.

The Wildcats were defeated by the slimmest of margins last Sunday night, by the very team they face in this clash. They will be out for revenge, and will be confident in their ability to achieve this, given how close they got to taking the win last time. However, they will not be taking their opponent for granted, so expect them to come out aggressive and determined this time around. They will likely be relying heavily on the duo of Victor Law and Bryce Cotton, who have shown the ability to carry this side before. However, both have not fully fired in the same match, so if they can do this, it seems nearly impossible that Perth will not put up a winning score.

The Bullets pulled off a major upset when they took down the Wildcats last round, and will not be taking this for granted when they face off against them once again. It took a couple of clutch shots in double overtime to secure the result, so it was not exactly an easy win. However, they will be confident in their ability to emerge victorious, given they have shown this ability so recently. Big man Robert Franks was the star of the show in Round 2, so expect him to feature heavily once again, although he may receive more defensive attention this time around.

The Kings will face a tough task in their second Round 3 clash, asked to take down the red-hot South East Melbourne Phoenix when the two sides clash at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday evening.

The Phoenix have started this season in the best form possible, winning their first three clashes as they look to take the next step as an organisation. They will be backing their ability against most sides, but will still be aware of how soon it can all come crumbling down. The Kings have shown that their chaotic game style can undo even the best teams, so the Phoenix will need to come into the match having done quite a bit of preparation. Superstar Mitch Creek has put together one of the best starts to the season of his career, and will be looking to keep his form rolling this weekend as the side searches for their fourth victory.

With both sides fresh off some Round 2 success, there is plenty of excitement around the clash between the Adelaide 36ers and the Cairns Taipans at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night.

The Taipans were able to rally and pull together their first win of the season last weekend, taking down the Tasmania JackJumpers by seven points. There is no doubt they will be looking to carry this momentum forward against Adelaide this round, but will need to bring their best. The Taipans are full of talent such as guards Tahjere McCall and Scott Machado, so they have the capability to post a winning score while Stephen Zimmerman has the ability to pull down plenty of boards. It is all a matter of whether or not they can get all of these factors to work at once, because if they can, it will serve them very well in their search for a second win.

The Adelaide 36ers were also able to pull off their first triumph of their NBL22 campaign, which was also over the Tasmania JackJumpers. There is plenty to like about this team, from eccentric guard Dusty Hannahs to young star Mojave King. This is all without mentioning that they won the NBL Blitz pre-season competition, so the parts are there. They will be confident heading into this match given their momentum from last week, but will still need to ensure they bring their A-game against a Cairns team that will be just as confident.

Two sides still searching for their first win will be facing off when the New Zealand Breakers travel to Melbourne to take on United at John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon. This will be both team’s second clash of the round.

The Brisbane Bullets will be given the tough task of slowing down one of the competition’s form sides when they lock horns with the Illawarra Hawks at Nissan Arena on Sunday afternoon. This will be both team’s second match of the round.

The competition’s newest side will continue their road trip when they head to RAC Arena to take on the Perth Wildcats on Saturday night. This will be Perth’s second clash of the round.

The JackJumpers appear to have hit a wall after claiming their first win from their first match. Tasmania were able to defeat the Bullets in Round 1, but have stalled since, losing two on the trot to the Taipans and the 36ers. They will be looking to regain some form this weekend, but face a tough task against a fired-up Perth side that will be looking to claim yet another championship. JackJumpers guard Josh Magette has started the season in remarkable form, proving a pillar of consistency throughout inconsistent team performances, and it seems certain he will be a big part of the team’s game plan this week.

The final match of the third round of NBL action will see the Tasmania JackJumpers travel to Sydney to take on the Kings at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night. This will be Tasmania’s game of the round, while this marks the third match of the round for the Kings.