Ignite Cup: Run to the Final (Round 18, NBL26)

The New Zealand Breakers helped their chances of qualifying for the inaugural NBL Ignite Cup Final during Wednesday night's double-header.

The Breakers, despite losing to South East Melbourne by seven points at the State Basketball Centre, strengthened their ladder position by winning the third and fourth quarters, to secure two valuable points.

Petteri Koponen's side now sit on 20 points after their four games, 4.5 points ahead of second-placed Melbourne United, who smashed Brisbane by 32 points in the night's other game, to claim all seven points on offer in the process.

Despite this, United and Brisbane, who still has one game remaining, are out of contention for a spot in the Final.

That means, only four teams, New Zealand, Adelaide, Perth and South East Melbourne, remain in contention for the February 22 Final on the Gold Coast.

Heading into the two final games, here are the scenarios for each of the quartet to reach the Final:

- New Zealand: Can only drop out of Final contention if Adelaide defeats Brisbane and wins three quarters and Perth defeats South East Melbourne and wins all four quarters.
In this scenario, Perth and New Zealand would be tied on 20 Ignite Cup points, with qualification determined by Ignite Cup games points percentage.‍

- Adelaide: Must defeat Brisbane and win at least three quarters to confirm their place in the Ignite Cup Final.‍

- Perth: If Adelaide defeats Brisbane and wins a minimum of three quarters, Perth cannot qualify for the Ignite Cup Final, unless they defeat South East Melbourne and win all four quarters. In this scenario, Perth and New Zealand would be tied on 20 Ignite Cup points, with qualification determined by Ignite Cup games points percentage.‍

- South East Melbourne: Must defeat Perth and win a minimum of two quarters if Adelaide lose to Brisbane and lose all four quarters. If Adelaide defeats Brisbane and wins at least two quarters, South East Melbourne cannot qualify for the Ignite Cup Final.

Fans can now secure tickets for the Final that will be played at the Gold Coast Entertainment Centre on February 22, where one team will win $300,000 and the runner-up awarded $100,000.

It is the largest prize pool in NBL history.

Teams remaining: Adelaide, New Zealand, Perth, South East Melbourne.
Teams eliminated: Brisbane, Cairns, Illawarra, Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania.

How the Ignite Cup standings are determined

1. Number of points awarded: In the first instance, teams are separated by the number of points the team has been awarded (1 point per quarter won and 3 points per games won).
2. Number of games won: If multiple teams are tied for points awarded, the next differentiator is number of games won.
3. Points percentage: If multiple teams are tied for for points awarded and games won, the next differentiator is points percentage (percentage of points scored versus points against).
4. Points for: If multiple teams are tied for points awarded, games won and points percentage, the next differentiator is points for (how many points a team has scored across their four games).

Just two games remain during the inaugural NBL Ignite Cup, including:

Brisbane Bullets v Adelaide 36ers - Wednesday, January 28, 7.30pm AEDT - Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Perth Wildcats v South East Melbourne Phoenix - Wednesday, January 28, 9.30pm AEDT - RAC Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre