Every Game In Focus (Round 10, NBL25)

Every week of the Hungry Jack's NBL25 Season, we'll be previewing the big games, the big names and all the key talking points.

Check out the Round 10 Preview below.

Don't forget, every game of the NBL25 season is live on ESPN.

Illawarra vs New Zealand

When: Thursday, November 28 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: WIN Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN & TVNZ | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: It's the first game back from the FIBA break and it’s a beauty, with the second and third-placed teams going head-to-head on Thursday night. Illawarra has had two weeks of good spirits after its big win over Sydney, which reaffirmed the Hawks as genuine title contenders after a rough patch. The biggest challenge now for the Hawks is to continue to beat the teams in the top half of the ladder, because outside of Sydney, all their wins have come from sides in the bottom four. 

For the Breakers, they're bringing a fresh new look into Wollongong with the signing of 7’6” center Tacko Fall. The former NBA player will bring a unique look to the NBL and if the Breakers can use it to their advantage, it will give them a point of difference over any other team. While they lose a potential Defensive Player of the Year in Freddie Gillespie, they still have the frontrunner for MVP in Parker Jackson-Cartwright to lead them.

Players to watch: For the Hawks, it will be Darius Days who will be looking to find his early season form after struggling for the last few weeks. He began the season on fire, with four straight double-digit games and three double-doubles, but has only scored over nine points once in their last six games. Days is a significant piece to the Hawks' championship puzzle and spoke to local media in the break, where he said he’s ready to get back to his best. 

Outside of Jackson-Cartwright and Fall, the Breakers welcome back Mojave King, who was outstanding before his injury. The former Next Star and second round pick is enjoying his second stint in the league and has showcased his potential to make a leap as a legitimate star in the four games played.  

The stat: Illawarra has won each of its last seven games when allowing fewer than 90 points. New Zealand has won each of its last seven games when scoring 90-plus points.
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Missing in action: Jonah Bolden is out with a calf injury. 

Cairns vs Sydney

When: Friday, November 29 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: Cairns Convention Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: Cairns is on an eight-game losing streak and almost all of that can be traced back to their injury concerns. To highlight that, the Taipans have not started and completed a game the entire season with every player healthy. In Round 3, they began their game against Tasmania with everyone available, until Tanner Groves injured himself. After that, they’ve had players missing every single game. The last two weeks break could have come at the perfect time for Adam Forde to finally get his team rested and ready for the second half of the season. 

For Sydney, all eyes will be on how they come out of the FIBA period, after Brian Goorjian’s words following their loss to Illawarra. Goorjian stated that his team is now “playing for their season” and they must use the two-week break to figure everything out before it’s too late. Many have the Kings as a leading contender in this NBL season, and they’ve shown that their best is certainly good enough, through the first nine rounds. Unfortunately for Sydney fans, the Kings have also shown instances where they are vulnerable and struggle to put it all together.

Players to watch: In the last two games that Cairns won, way back in round three, it was Taran Armstrong and Rob Edwards who led the way. The exciting backcourt duo was unstoppable together and it was no surprise that the Taipans were able to find ways to put up 90-plus points in both those wins. Now that they’re all healthy and available, is it time for the two exciting guards to get back to their ways. 

A lot of eyes for the Kings will be on back-up big man, Cam Oliver, who has been under the most pressure so far this season. The former all-league player has had his ups and downs this season as he continues to adjust to his role coming off the bench but has shown how dominant he can be in many of Sydney’s big wins. Sydney’s barometer is no doubt its MVP guard, Jaylen Adams, who has been battling through a back injury in the first part of the season and still coming up big when his team needs it. 

The stat: Sydney has won each of its last 27 games when allowing fewer than 80 points.

Missing in action: Pedro Bradshaw is out and expected to return in Round 13.

Perth vs Brisbane

When: Friday, November 29 - 9.30pm AEDT
Where: RAC Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: These two teams played each other in the last game before the FIBA break in a game that will go down in the history books. Brisbane guard James Batemon, erupted against the Wildcats on his way ro a 51-point night, which is a record in the modern 40-minute era. The Bullets guard was simply unstoppable all night, knocking down nine threes and eclipsing the 50-point mark in the final moments of a huge home win for his team.

Unfortunately for Perth, this wasn’t the first time that they had been on the wrong side of the history books. Just two weeks prior, they were on the receiving end of a 46-point onslaught from Chris Goulding. They now have had an opportunity to address all of those defensive concerns in the break and showcase a new mindset in their rematch against the Bullets Friday night. 

Players to watch: While Bryce Cotton is back in action, he returned from a rib injury in outstanding fashion with 33 points in a home win. Unfortunately for the four-time MVP, he then had one of his poorest career performances against Brisbane on the road. In the break, Ben Henshall suited up for the Boomers and was one of the best players on the floor in both of Australia’s wins. 

As Batemon looks to stay hot after his record game, he will be hoping the rest of his teammates come along for the ride. For Brisbane, it’s been Keandre Cook who has been the most consistent offensive threat all season long, shooting above 40 per cent in the process. Another key piece to the Bullets puzzle has been the defensive play of Mitch Norton, who was simply outstanding in his efforts on Cotton in the last matchup.

The stat: In their Round 9 matchup, Perth went 0-11 from three-point range from QT until the drought was snapped with 2:22 left in Q3. In that same span, Batemon made five threes.

Missing in action: Sam McDaniel is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

South East Melbourne vs Illawarra

When: Saturday, November 30 - 5.30pm AEDT
Where: John Cain Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: South East Melbourne went from a team that was destined for the wooden spoon, to a post-season contender, in a remarkable turnaround since Round 5. Under Josh King, the Phoenix have been one of the best defensively-rated teams in the entire league and it’s no surprise that they’re ticking off wins in the process. They chose to keep their players out of international duties in the break, to allow King a chance to get two uninterrupted weeks of practice time, which makes them a fascinating watch in the coming rounds.

The Hawks play their second game of the round when they travel to Melbourne and hope to continue to build on their early season success against the Phoenix. In their previous meeting it was Tyler Harvey who was simply unstoppable, hitting six threes on the night for a game-high 22 points. Darius Days also had a big outing, putting up 16 points and seven rebounds.

Players to watch: Angus Glover has been a shining light for the Phoenix since entering the startling lineup. As his opportunity increased, so did the responsibility of needing to perform and he capitalised on that with career games. With Derrick Walton Jr now back from injury, the test for Glover is to still find a way to keep his same impact in a role that may change with the star guard back. The Phoenix have also been at their best when Next Star, Malique Lewis, has spearheaded the defensive identity from the opening tip.

With all the talent on this Hawks roster, it’s been their bench duo of Will Hickey and Hyunjung Lee who have arguably been most important to their success. Both contribute in vastly different ways, but are equally as damaging to the opposition, with Hickey’s ability to crash the glass and Lee knocking down big shots. Justin Tatum has the luxury of knowing that both his bench guards will give the team an energy lift the moment they’re inserted into the game.

The stat: Illawarra is the best offensively rated team in the league, at 119.6.

Adelaide vs Tasmania

When: Saturday, November 30 - 8pm AEDT
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: This game suddenly became one of the most intriguing of the round for a number of reasons. Firstly, Tasmania entered the break on the back of a big win and an offensive clinic by their superstar Milton Doyle. Can they pick up where they left off and find a consistent way to put points on the board? But the main reason this game is fascinating is because it’s the first test for Adelaide without their suspended stars, Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell.

Two of the leading contenders for the league MVP are out of action, which would usually mean big problems for a team when they lose two players of that importance. However, DJ Vasiljevic and Isaac Humphries will have other ideas in this game, as both now get increased responsibility to score the ball. Not only that, but the 36ers team is going to come out with a point to prove after everything that transpired in recent weeks. 

Players to watch: With two key players out of this game, a lot of the battle in this game will come down to Will Magnay against Humphries. Two of the best local big men in the competition, who have had some big games previously, will look to command the paint on both ends of the floor. Humphries showed last year that he’s more than capable of being a number one option, however his opportunity to enjoy that on Saturday will be a little tougher with Magnay in the way. Magnay is one of the premier defensive players in the league and a leading contender for the Best Defensive Player award at season's end.

Another intriguing watch will be Sunday Dech looking to slow down Milton Doyle. Doyle has some of his best games against Adelaide in recent history, whereas Dech will be looking to flip the script on those numbers. 

The stat: Adelaide has won 10 straight at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Missing in action: Davis and Harrell are both out due to suspension. 

Melbourne vs Sydney

When: Sunday, December 1 - 2.30pm AEDT
Where: John Cain Arena
Watch: Live & free on ESPN via Kayo | 10 & 10 Play | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: Two of the biggest teams in the league go at it for the second time this season and if the first game was anything to go by, this is going to be a big one. History tells us that anytime these two teams meet, it will be packed full of highlights and come right down to the wire. In fact, when they met a month ago, it took two clutch Jack White threes to push United over the line in the final moments. 

United recently lost their best defensive team rating to Sydney, who have continued to find ways to limit their opposition, throughout their own struggles to claw out wins. This game sets up the opportunity for both teams to make a statement to the rest of the league that they are every bit the championship contender people believe. There are exciting individual matchups all over the court, which makes this a game you simply do not want to miss.

Players to watch: One of the first matchups to keep an eye on is former MVP, Jaylen Adams, against former Best Defensive Player, Shea Ili. These two elite guards have had their fair share of head-to-head battles in recent years, and the stats would tell us that whoever gets the upper hand in it, usually goes close to winning.

Another former MVP in Xavier Cooks has just quietly been going about a very productive season for the Kings and would no doubt feature heavier in the MVP debate, if his team had some more wins. Cooks gets a chance to exact revenge on White in this game, after United’s big man had the upper hand the first time they met. What makes this battle even juicier is the fact both of these players will be competing for the same Boomers position for the foreseeable future. 

The stat: Sydney has the best defensive rating in the league, at 105.8.

Missing in action: Jaylin Galloway is out for the season with a shoulder injury. 

Perth vs New Zealand

When: Sunday, December 1 - 4.30pm AEDT
Where: RAC Arena
Watch: Live & free on ESPN via Kayo | 10 Bold & 10 Play | NZ: ESPN & TVNZ | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: To wrap up the first week back from the break, it’s two teams who will be on their second game of the round, looking to either bounce back or keep their streak going. Interestingly, the numbers indicate over recent years that these are the top two teams in the league in terms of winning games after the FIBA Break. Both Perth and New Zealand are 4-1 in their previous five games when resuming from the week off.

Last time they met was the catastrophic moment that Perth lost their four time MVP, when Bryce Cotton went down in the opening moments and was rushed to hospital. In that game it was Matt Mooney who lit it up from beyond the arc and put the Breakers in the driver's seat to secure a win at home.  

Players to watch: This will be a big test for new signing, Tacko Fall, when he comes up against one of the more mobile and perimeter-oriented big men in Keanu Pinder. Perth’s star will often step out and shoot the three, but also loves to put the ball on the floor at test the mobility of his defenders. At 7’6”, that poses a unique challenge for Fall when trying to slow down the two-time Most Improved Player. 

Mojave King is back in action for New Zealand and showed in the four games he played that he’s ready for every bit of responsibility he gets, in terms of offensive production. Outside of Parker Jackson-Cartwright, it’s up to King and Mooney to be consistent offensive threats to help tick the scoreboard over for the Breakers. 

The stat: Perth have give up 30 points (Milton Doyle),27 points (Matt Hurt), 46 points (Chris Goulding), 51 points (James Batemon) in the last four games.