Starting 5: Elite guards, bounce-back wins & memorable returns

Round 6 saw the Bullets, Phoenix and United all record crucial bounce-back wins, while two Queensland-based stars shone for their respective teams.

Pete Hooley looks at some key talking points from the round just gone.

1. The perfect response

Melbourne United travelled across to Perth on Friday night and came up short, despite putting themselves in a strong position to win the game. 

With limited turnaround time, Jacob Chance’s side returned home to welcome a red-hot Sydney Kings team to town and delivered the perfect response. 

United’s superb defence, led by Shea Ili, was on full display as they clamped down on Kendric Davis and kept him to one of the quieter games of his career. 

On the other end, Cole Anthony put together his most complete performance to date, as he ripped apart the Kings and led United to a much-needed win.

2. Where to now?

After a strong win over Melbourne United, the Illawarra Hawks dropped both games this round and found themselves trailing big early in each.

Justin Tatum’s press conferences continue to preach that his team needs to be more unselfish on the offensive end, but the concerns are growing, as they sit anchored to the bottom of the standings. 

The Hawks have the eighth-best offensive rating and the worst defensive rating, and are the only team to have played 10 games so far.

For a team that had a lot of excitement around the roster coming into the season, what next for the Hawks?

3. Tough stretch

The Sydney Kings have had arguably the most favourable schedule so far, with Sunday’s game against Melbourne being their first true road game. 

Prior to that, the reigning champions travelled to Canberra for an Ignite Cup clash and went down the highway to take on the Hawks.

Beginning their tough road stretch with a loss to Melbourne, the Kings now head west to face the Perth Wildcats in the Ignite Cup, before travelling to Launceston to take on the ladder leaders.

4. Watch out for Snakes!

The Cairns Taipans are in the top four, and after Jaylin Galloway’s first game for his new team, they may just be the most exciting team to watch going forward. 

The former Kings champion wasted no time adjusting to his new teammates, doing a bit of everything on his way to player of the game honours.

While Jaylon Brown had an off night, the firepower in this Taipans team is undeniable, and if they stay healthy… look out.

5. Neto the real deal

The Bullets have struck gold with their injury replacement for Arnas Velička, as Raul Neto is living up to all the hype from his illustrious international career. 

He was on limited minutes in his first game against Tasmania but looked a class above with his ball handling and reading of the play.

As the Bullets continue to navigate a tricky stretch of injuries, Neto is the calming presence Will Weaver needs to keep things ticking over.