Starting 5: The key talking points from Round 13

Round 13 saw some of the top teams continue their hot form, while many of the others split the round with a mix of promising and disappointing displays. The Kings are charging, while Melbourne United have dropped to one win and five losses since the FIBA break.

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

1 – The Kings’ reign

The Sydney Kings have won four straight, with two of those being by 29 or more. However, it’s the other two wins that provide a better measuring stick of where this team is at. First it was an overtime win against United and then they followed it up with a gutsy comeback win over Adelaide, again in overtime. Led by Kendric Davis, this Kings team has quickly become the one that no one wants to face in a series at season's end.

2 – Doolittle doing a lot

The Wildcats bounced back in a big way down in Tasmania and they were led by Kristian Doolittle delivering a monster performance. The star forward dropped 30 points in the win, but it was his aggressive mindset that had the Wildcats setting a tone against the JackJumpers. When he’s in this groove, there are very few people capable of stopping him and his team seems to thrive on it.

3- Two different Cairns, one round

We got the full Cairns experience last week in the one round, with a big win at home, followed by a disappointing loss just two days later. Initially it was Jack McVeigh who had a career night, dropping 47 points in the win over the Breakers, where the Taipans faithful relished in a much-needed victory. However, the team failed to provide any resistance two days later against Sydney, going down by 42 points.

4 – Merry Christmas Bullets fans

It’s been another rough season for Brisbane fans, with yet another coaching change and the team struggling to get close to a win. However, in just his second game as interim head coach, Darryl McDonald brought an early Christmas present for the fans. A dominant performance on Monday night against the Breakers saw them win their first game since early November. While the injury list is still long, there looks to be a renewed energy amongst the group going forward under DMac.

5- Phoenix looming

The South East Melbourne Phoenix are poised to strike on the top two teams currently on the ladder, after they finished a big Round 13 with a 29-point win over Brisbane. Their earlier win against Perth at RAC Arena once again demonstrated that this team is built tough and able to respond to any sort of adversity. Now they have reportedly added veteran and championship winner, Ian Clark, to further strengthen this unit in their championship run.