Category: National Basketball League

New Zealand lays the smackdown on Melbourne 90-68

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The New Zealand Breakers continue to defy all the odds and have put themselves right back in the NBL finals hunt and continued the struggles of Melbourne United with a 90-68 thumping at Spark Arena on Sunday. There have been times this season could have been described as the season from hell for the Breakers with all they have had to deal with. It all started with an import replacement before the season even started and has continued to snowball, but right now they are among the hottest…

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Liam Santamaria’s Round 16 NBL Studs and Duds

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : At the conclusion of each round, NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria lets us know who made the grade and who deserves a little shade. STUDS New Zealand Breakers Just when we thought they were out, they pull themselves back in. That’s the story for the Breakers this week after a couple of dubs have vaulted them right back into the playoff hunt. The Kiwis made big plays down the stretch to overcome the Kings in a thrilling clash on Friday night and then made life difficult for United…

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Cairns beats up on Adelaide 108-91

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : The Cairns Taipans have taken another significant step towards what would be a remarkable NBL finals appearance after Saturday night’s 108-91 smackdown of the Adelaide 36ers at Cairns Convention Centre. The Snakes were in charge all night for a complete wire-to-wire masterclass of three-point shooting, as four Snakes drained three triples or more and the team went 16/35 from downtown, including an unconscious 7/9 third term. Cairns now holds a 13-10 record with a strong points percentage, but have just a single home game remaining – against…

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Boomers squad named for FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: Basketball Australia have named a 24-man Boomers squad for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup qualification games. The Boomers face New Zealand in Brisbane at Nissan Arena on February 20 before playing away to Hong Kong in their second game on February 23. The squad is headlined by 2019 FIBA World Cup team members Chris Goulding, Mitch Creek, David Barlow, Cam Gliddon and Nathan Sobey alongside emerging NBL stars including Will Magnay, Kouat Noi and Sunday Dech. Players from teams participating in the NBL Finals will not be named…

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Perth defeats SE Melbourne 97-91 in Bryce Cotton’s 100th NBL game

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : The Perth Wildcats have shown the South East Melbourne Phoenix no mercy on their second trip to RAC Arena putting on a clinic in the second half to celebrate Bryce Cotton’s 100th NBL appearance with the 97-71 win. The Wildcats were back at RAC Arena for their first home game of 2020 and while the first half didn’t reach any great heights, the home team still led by 10 at the main break. Then following a brief flurry from the Phoenix early in the second half, the…

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NBL to hold first-ever Indigenous Round

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The Hungry Jack’s National Basketball League (NBL) will stage its inaugural Indigenous Round from January 29-February 2.  The round will recognise and acknowledge Indigenous culture and basketball across Australia and New Zealand. The decision to stage an Indigenous Round follows the success of last year’s Indigenous game hosted by the Illawarra Hawks.  All nine NBL teams will wear Indigenous uniforms designed by local Indigenous artists in Round 18, while the Sydney Kings’ Indigenous game will be on January 19 and South East Melbourne Phoenix’s on February 9.  All…

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NBL issues statement on LaMelo Ball

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger has made the following statement on LaMelo Ball after it was announced he will miss the rest of the season as he recovers from injury. “It’s a shame for LaMelo as I’m sure he would have loved to join his team out there for the end of the season, especially as they have found some winning form of late. “It’s important that he makes a return to full fitness ahead of the NBA draft and we will do everything we can to support…

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NBL1 will have North and South Conferences in 2020

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: Following the success of its inaugural season, NBL1 is set to expand with the establishment of North and South conferences in 2020. After a landmark agreement with Basketball Queensland, NBL1 North will replace the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) and there will be 13 clubs in the men’s and women’s league. Participating clubs will be Cairns Marlins and Dolphins, Townsville Heat and Flames, Rockhampton Rockets and Cyclones, Mackay Meteors and Meteorettes, Southern District Spartans, Sunshine Coast Phoenix, University of Sunshine Coast Rip, Brisbane Capitals, Logan Thunder, South West Metro…

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Kendall Stephens’ big game powers South East Melbourne to key win over Illawarra

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au Kendall Stephens’ breakout party helped South East Melbourne Phoenix open up a handy first half lead and then he hit the two daggers to shake off a determined Illawarra Hawks for a critical 90-82 win on Sunday. The Phoenix had no choice but to win the game to close Round 15 at WIN Entertainment Centre against the bottom placed Hawks but they did have their work cut out when down nine early in the second quarter. It was Stephens who sparked a remarkable run of 17 straight points…

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Liam Santamaria’s Round 15 NBL Studs and Duds

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : At the conclusion of each round, NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria lets us know who made the grade and who deserves a little shade. STUDS Adelaide 36ers That must’ve felt good for the 36ers. In a terrific result all-round for the club, the Sixers beat up on Melbourne on Saturday night in front of a record home crowd. Joey Wright’s men were the aggressors against United as they notched up a 32-point opening quarter, eventually running away with a 14-point win. “Right from the jump we were anticipating…

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