THE NATIONAL Basketball League (NBL) Blitz preseason tournament began on the Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon, and all four matches have made the picture clearer ahead of the 2024\/25 fixture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Blitz preseason tournament takes place over the span of seven days, and with Round 1 scheduled to begin next weekend, it is the final glimpse of how each side is shaping up for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kicking things off was a clash between the Tasmania JackJumpers<\/a> and the Brisbane Bullets<\/a> on Saturday afternoon, with the latter claiming a 13-point victory. The Bullets came into the contest in hot form, having won three of their four previous exhibition matches, and proved too good for the reigning champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The star of the show was Brisbane point guard James Batemon<\/strong>, who looks set for a dynamic campaign as the Bullets’ floor general. He posted a game-high 20 points and was capable of producing baskets from nearly everywhere, while Jordan Crawford<\/a> was back to his electric best with 15 points in 19 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next game saw Melbourne United<\/a> prove a class above the Cairns Taipans<\/a>, snagging a seven-point triumph at Carrara Stadium on Saturday night. Although the Taipans gave fans a lot to be excited about, Melbourne’s winning DNA shone through when it mattered most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All five of Melbourne’s starters poured in double-digits, with Ian Clark<\/a> the most damaging with 16 points, while Matthew Dellavedova<\/a> was also strong off the bench with 13 points of his own. For Cairns, import shooting guard Rob Edwards <\/strong>was tremendous with a game-high 24 points (8\/17 FG) and should be an electric player up North this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kicking off the action on Sunday was a clash between the Illawarra Hawks<\/a> and the SEM Phoenix<\/a>, with the Hawks 19 points too good for the Phoenix. The Hawks were on early, headlined by a massive poster dunk from exciting forward Lachlan Olbrich<\/a> in the opening minutes of the game, emphasising the exciting style of basketball the team wants to bring to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fresh off an exciting postseason with Illawarra, William Hickey<\/a> led the way with 20 points, while Tyler Harvey<\/a> (18 points) and Olbrich (17 points) were not far behind and both produced impressive outings. For the Phoenix, their offensive firepower was not at its potential, but backcourt duo Nathan Sobey<\/a> (16 points) and Derrick Walton Jr<\/a> (14 points, six assists) still caught the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final match of the weekend saw a high-scoring thriller between the New Zealand Breakers<\/a> and the Perth Wildcats<\/a>, with the Breakers getting the job done by six points. New Zealand looked home heading into the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats came home like a wet sail, producing a 41-point final term on the back of some heroics from Bryce Cotton<\/a> but fell painfully short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cotton was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points, showing why he is still the king of the NBL. He engaged in an enthralling duel with Parker Jackson-Cartwright<\/a>, with the latter delivering 21 points of his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NBL Blitz continues tonight, with the JackJumpers taking on the Adelaide 36ers<\/a>, while the Taipans face off against the Sydney Kings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n