Category: National Basketball League

New Zealand gets 96-85 win over Brisbane

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: Drama might continue to follow this New Zealand Breakers team but one thing they continue to do is play relatively well at Spark Arena, and that was again the case on Monday night as they disposed of the Brisbane Bullets 96-85. The Breakers haven’t enjoyed hitting the road so far in #NBL20 losing on all six attempts including in Cairns on Friday night, but they improved to 4-3 at home on the season following Monday’s win against a Bullets team far too reliant on superstar import Lamar Patterson.…

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LaMelo Ball will miss four weeks with foot injury

Brandon King

Youngest of the Ball brothers, current point guard for the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks and projected top-three pick in next year’s NBA draft, LaMelo Ball will be out about four weeks with a foot injury. According to an injury update from the NBL, Ball suffered a bruised foot in practice this week. A specialist Ball saw, prescribed him to rest the injury and that will have him on the shelf for the next few weeks. Ball with remain in Australia as he rehabs his injury. He is expected to make a…

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New Zealand Breakers terminates Glen Rice Jr’s contract

Brandon King

Glen Rice JR’s time in National Basketball League appears to be at an end. The New Zealand Breakers, who Rice, Jr had signed with as an injury replacement for Scotty Hopson, suspended the former Georgia Tech standout last month after an incident outside a bar. After being arrested last night, the club has decided to cut ties with Rice Jr. Here is a statement from the Breakers regarding the matter: Glen Rice Junior’s contract with the New Zealand Breakers has been terminated with immediate effect. Mr Rice was picked up…

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NBL Preview: Round 10 Cairns v New Zealand

Brandon King

From NBL.com.au : When: 7.30pm (AEDT), Friday 6 December Where: Cairns Convention Centre Broadcast: ESPN; Sky Sports NZ; SBS On Demand The last time New Zealand 93 (Webster 23, Hampton 18, Ashley 14) d Cairns 85 (Oliver 23, Deng 18, Noi 16), Round 5, Spark Arena This was a bad day for the Breakers. Forget the eight-point win or the incredible Corey Webster performance or even the defensive effort that forced Cairns into 19 turnovers, because this was the day they lost Scotty Hopson to injury. All the on-court struggles and off-court dramas…

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New Zealand Breakers suspend Glen Rice Jr indefinitely

Brandon King

from nbl.com.au : Glen Rice’s NBL playing career finds itself in limbo. The former Georgia Tech standout and Washington Wizard was suspended indefinitely by the New Zealand Breakers. The suspension comes after Rice Jr was arrested last week after an incident outside an Auckland bar. Rice plead not guilty to charge of injuring with intent to injure. He has opted to trial by judge instead of a jury trail. The Breakers, who Rice Jr signed with only days ago, released the following statement: On the night that players from the…

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NBL Round 3 Preview: Illawarra Hawks v SE Melbourne Phoenix

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: When: 8pm (AEDT), Saturday 19 October Where: Melbourne Arena Broadcast: ESPN; Sky Sports NZ; SBS On Demand The last time SE Melbourne 116 (Kelly 21, Mackinnon 20, Ronaldson 17, Smith 17) d Illawarra 73 (Hatcher 18, Ritter 13, Campbell 12), Round 15, 1998, Melbourne Park It wasn’t pretty the last time SE Melbourne welcomed the Hawks to town, now Cairns Taipans coach Mike Kelly racking up 21 points at 80 per cent as the hosts ran up a cricket score and downed the men from the ‘Gong by 43 points. Current…

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NBL Round 1 Preview: Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets

Brandon King

From NBL.com.au: When: 3pm (AEDT), Sunday 6 October Where: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Broadcast: SBS Viceland; Sky Sports NZ; SBS On Demand New players: Illawarra – LaMelo Ball, Josh Boone, Aaron Brooks, Sunday Dech, Sam Froling Brisbane – Taylor Braun, EJ Singler, Nathan Sobey The last time Brisbane 98 (Patterson 24, Gibson 14, Hodgson 14) d Illawarra 87 (Jett 16, Grida 13, Jackson 11, Naar 11), OT, Round 17, 2018/19, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre The energy of Dan Grida drove the Hawks to a double-digit advantage in the second term, but the…

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National Basketball League and Under Armour extend partnership

Brandon King

From Nbl.com.au : The Hungry Jack’s National Basketball League (NBL) is pleased to announce that global performance brand Under Armour has extended its partnership with the league. After a successful collaboration for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 NBL seasons, Under Armour will continue as both Supply Partner and Official Compression Partner for the 2019/20 season. NBL Chief Commercial Officer Brad Joyner said: “We have been delighted with the first two seasons of the Under Armour partnership and are excited to grow the relationship. “Under Armour is a premier producer of high-performance…

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Australia shocks USA 98-94

Brandon King

From Bleacher Report: The United States men’s basketball team suffered its first loss while using NBA players in nearly 13 years Saturday morning, as Australia pulled off a 98-94 upset in a FIBA Basketball World Cup warm-up game at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. “They wanted it more than us tonight,” Team USA guard Kemba Walker told reporters. “Lesson learned for us.” It marked the end of a 78-game winning streak for the U.S. senior men’s national team. Patty Mills, who plays for U.S. head coach Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio…

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SLAM enters sponsorship deal with NBL’s Illawarra Hawks

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The Illawarra Hawks have announced a brand-new partnership with basketball giant SLAM Media Inc. for the 2019/20 season. The announcement with SLAM, a full-service basketball media company, will see them take the lucrative position of Front of Jersey Sponsor on the Illawarra Hawks Home and Away Jersey for the NBL20 season. The deal will catapult exposure of the Illawarra Hawks into an international market, predominately in the USA. Illawarra Hawks General Manager, Mat Campbell said he was excited to welcome SLAM to the Illawarra Hawks family. “Today’s announcement marks…

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