THE 10th round of the National Basketball League (NBL) is set to kick off, with seven clashes set to take place over the next six days, as the competition looks to ramp up its workload. COVID has already caused some havoc preparations this week, with the clash between the Brisbane Bullets and the Adelaide 36ers postponed. However, there are still seven cracking matchups set to go ahead around the country this weekend, with a number of blockbuster games on the schedule. Last round saw some serious upsets, with some of the league’s heavyweight sides unable to fire, copping some surprising losses. It will be interesting to see if this rolls into Round 10, or if the contenders can bounce back this week.

Proceedings for the round will kick off on Wednesday night, when the New Zealand Breakers welcome the Illawarra Hawks to Tasmania when the two sides face off at MyState Bank Arena.

The Breakers found themselves on the receiving end of a big loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers in Round 9, as they simply could not get their game rolling on either end of the court. Their defence proved too leaky (although Tasmania shot a ridiculous percentage from three) as they allowed the JackJumpers to notch a winning score, and they could not counter it up the other end, unable to fire with ball in hand. They will be hoping for a big improvement this week, as they take on one of the strongest performing sides of the year. However, Illawarra’s defence has proven to be poor at times, so if Hugo Besson can get off the hook and get some points on the board, then they might just surprise everyone.

The Hawks broke even from their two matches last week with one win and one loss. They emerged victorious in their clash against the Cairns Taipans (as expected), but could not top the Perth Wildcats as their struggles against the top-placed sides continue. Their spot in the top-four looks less certain by the week, but this side has shown the capability to perform at a high level plenty of times this year, so they will be looking to get back to their best against a struggling side, and if Tyler Harvey can fire from behind the arc, they will be hard to stop.

The Tasmania JackJumpers will look to keep their winning streak going on Friday night, when they take on the Sydney Kings at MyState Bank Arena, in the second consecutive match in the Apple Isle.

The JackJumpers finally got themselves back on the winners’ list in Round 9, emerging victorious in both of their matches to make a serious move up the ladder. They staged an impressive come-from-behind win against the Adelaide 36ers to kickstart their momentum, before blowing out the Breakers to close out a successful weekend of action. They now find themselves sitting in sixth spot on the ladder, potentially reigniting their season in a big way. They face a Kings side that is also up and about at the moment, but if Scott Roth can rally his troops and Josh Magette can keep his recent form going, then they are every chance to turn this into a hattrick of wins.

The Kings were simply outstanding in their triumph over the Wildcats last Sunday, producing a performance of the highest class and shocking the competition by taking down one of the title fancies. This week, they face a side that is lower on the ladder, but may have the most confidence of any side in the league at the moment. Sydney have shown glimpses of excellent play throughout the year, but consistency has been their biggest enemy so far, so if they can string together a second consecutive win here, then they will soon be knocking on the door of the top-four (especially if Jaylen Adams keeps firing).

The league’s two Queensland-based sides will go head-to-head this weekend, when the Cairns Taipans travel north to take on the Brisbane Bullets at Nissan Arena on Saturday evening to kick things off for the day’s action.

The Bullets copped a tough loss at the hands of the SEM Phoenix in Round 9, eventually falling to the tune of 15 points after a competitive match was turned sour by a dominant final period from the Phoenix. The Bullets will be encouraged by their performance for much of the match (particularly the third term), but there is still work to do. Thankfully they play an opponent that has suffered their own fair share of struggles of late, so this could be the perfect opportunity to bounce back, especially if they can utilise the recent scoring form of Lamar Patterson.

The form slump of the Taipans continued last weekend, with the side convincingly beaten by the Illawarra Hawks in their only match of the round. It is clear that Cairns is still struggling with the extended amount of time missed due to COVID in recent months, and look far from their best. However, they will have drawn some inspiration from some of the upsets that took place in Round 9, and if the side can back up the strong play of Tahjere McCall, then they might be the next side to cause a boilover.

In one of the most anticipated matchups on the schedule for Round 10, the South East Melbourne Phoenix will host the Perth Wildcats at John Cain Arena on Saturday night, as the two sides lock horns in a top-four clash.

The Phoenix look well and truly back to their best in recent weeks, recording some impressive wins as they took top spot thanks to recent results. They proved too good for the Taipans in the ninth round of action, and appear to be a class above most of their opponents. The pressure now comes with maintaining this position, as they have now become the most hunted side in the league. Despite this, the Phoenix are expected to continue their good run of form, but face a formidable opponent this week, but history has shown that if Mitch Creek is hot from the field, this side is incredibly tough to stop.

The Wildcats received mixed results from their Round 9 schedule with one win and one loss from two outings. They got the job done against the Illawarra Hawks (who were looming as a dangerous opponent), but found themselves upset by a hungrier Kings team. They will be looking to bounce back this week, but face an even more challenging opponent this time around as they face the possibility of back-to-back losses. They will need to provide some help to Bryce Cotton and Victor Law if they are to bounce back, with the duo fighting tooth and nail in the loss, but unable to drag their side over the line on their own.

Basketball action will return to Sydney for the first time this round, when the Kings play host to the New Zealand Breakers at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. This will be the second outing of the round for both sides.

The reigning champions will be looking make amends for a loss last week, when Melbourne United welcome the Tasmania JackJumpers to John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon. This will be Tasmania’s second matchup of Round 10.

United found themselves stunned by a determined Adelaide 36ers side last weekend, and were defeated when the match went to overtime, putting an end to their eight-game winning streak. It seems extremely likely that last year’s winners will be able to bounce back this week, but the JackJumpers will enter this matchup with their tails up given recent results, so United must still bring their best. They will be optimistic that sharpshooter Chris Goulding can bounce back after a quiet game, given the production he has shown in the past.

The final match of the round will see the South East Melbourne Phoenix head up to Win Entertainment Centre to take on the Illawarra Hawks in a massive clash on Monday night. This will be the second outing of Round 10 for both of these teams.