Every Game In Focus (Round 16 - Part 1, NBL25)

Every week of the Hungry Jack's NBL25 Season, we'll be previewing the big games, the big names and all the key talking points.

Check out the Round 16, Part 1 Preview below.

Don't forget, every game of the NBL25 season is live on ESPN.

Sydney vs Melbourne

When: Thursday, January 9 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: Qudos Bank Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: When these two teams face off, it usually produces fireworks no matter the occasion. Now you add the battle for second spot and this game becomes even more crucial for both teams and for completely different reasons.

On one side you have the Sydney Kings, who are poised to strike on the top two, even after all the questions around their form all season. With Brian Goorjian’s press conferences and the inconsistent play, the Kings have had questions about where they’re at this season and yet still find themselves on the verge of second spot. Melbourne United on the other hand, have lost five of their last six games and are desperately trying to find their early season form. Not only has their defence taken a hit in recent weeks, but they’re struggling to score the ball as well.

Players to watch: Jaylen Adams once again proved he’s one of the very best clutch players in the competition, when he put the team on his back and erased an 18-point deficit against the Phoenix. When Adams and Xavier Cooks are firing, this Sydney team looks like the legitimate championship contender that everyone believed it was in the off-season. The Kings also welcome in Lamonte Turner, their newest signing, who has been brought in to make life easier for Adams.

Melbourne will be calling on Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova to step up and perform against Sydney, after both have struggled offensively throughout this rough stretch for United. Outside of those two, a lot of United’s offence revolves around Chris Goulding, who was made to have to work for every one of his points against Adelaide. Goulding enjoys playing against Sydney, especially at Qudos Bank Arena, which could produce fireworks on its own.

The stat: Melbourne is first in the league for threes made this season (11.7).

Missing in action: Jaylin Galloway is out for the season (Shoulder). Keli Leaupepe is out (hamstring).

Tasmania vs Adelaide

When: Friday, January 10 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: MyState Bank Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: Friday night blockbusters don’t get much bigger than this, as the reigning champions look to put a stop to their two-game losing streak. Tasmania is back at home and welcomes in an Adelaide team that has won two straight and is thriving after it’s ‘crisis meeting.’

This is a crucial game in the overall standings with Tasmania trying to hold onto their place in the top six and Adelaide facing the task of getting enough wins to climb into that same position. Tasmania’s defence, especially at MyState Bank Arena, has proven to be one of the best in the league over recent seasons. What adds a little more spice to this matchup is that the 36ers have chosen the JackJumpers as their Summer Shootout opponent and have the chance to send a statement to the rest of the competition if they get the job done.

Players to watch: Milton Doyle is the key to what Tasmania can achieve for the rest of this season and his inconsistent form would be a concern for Scott Roth. While he continues to impact the game in other areas, the JackJumpers need more than one point from their star guard, which was all he scored in the loss to Illawarra. With Jordon Crawford coming off the bench and Will Magnay still hurt, Doyle must fire early for them to put up a competitive score.

It may look like the same 36ers team that’s been playing all season, with Kendric Davis, Montrezl Harrell and DJ Vasiljevic all filling it up offensively. However, in their last two wins, this team has been locked in defensively and it’s no surprise that it’s translated to wins. With Lat Mayen leading the charge on that end, there seems to be a new identity within this team and what they can achieve if they continue to play at this level.

The stat: Tasmania is the lowest scoring team in the league (84.1 points per game). Adelaide allows the most points scored per game (96.8).

Missing in action: Will Magnay is out (toe). Sunday Dech is a game-time decision (hamstring).

Illawarra vs New Zealand

When: Saturday, January 11 - 5.30pm AEDT
Where: WIN Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: The Hawks are back in the winners list after they took care of business against Tasmania on Tuesday night. By simply looking at the standings, it’s easy to assume that this would be a game that they’ll win comfortably. However, Justin Tatum’s men won’t be taking this one lightly, after they lost to the bottom-placed Cairns Taipans just a week ago.

While the New Zealand Breakers still have two games to play without their star guard, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, they’ve shown flashes in recent games of a team that can upset anyone. With all the struggles the Breakers have had, they’ll have the opportunity to play loose and free against the ladder leaders and that could help them in this game, much like it did for the Taipans.

Players to watch: Trey Kell III continues to be one of the best players in this NBL25 season and is finding different ways to prove that each week. While he was slow in the opening half against Tasmania, he stepped up big when his team needed him the most and further added to his MVP case. When Kell III isn’t scoring, it’s been Tyler Harvey who has had the most efficient and damaging season of his NBL career thus far.

For the Breakers, they’ll be hoping that Matt Mooney can maintain his composure and replicate the performance he had on New Years Eve, which came in the team’s last win. Mooney has had to take on much more responsibility with Jackson-Cartwright suspended and it has frustrated him in the last two games. With Tacko Fall also finding his feet in the NBL, there are enough weapons on this team to cause some issues for the Hawks.

The stat: Illawara is the best rebounding team in the league (43.9). New Zealand allow the most rebounds against (37.2).

Missing in action: Parker Jackson-Cartwright is out (suspended). Mojave King is out.

South East Melbourne vs Brisbane

When: Saturday, January 11 - 8.00pm AEDT
Where: Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: The fairytale turnaround is almost complete for South East Melbourne, as it looks to cement its place in the top four after beginning the season with five straight losses. Not only are the Phoenix looking to accomplish that, but they’re doing so as one of the most in-form teams in the entire league since Round 7. When Josh King took over, he turned the worst defensive team into one of the best and did so within a couple of weeks. Now the question becomes even greater – just how far can this Phoenix team go?

Brisbane did what it had to do against New Zealand and that was win at all costs. The Bullets have been decimated by injuries to key players recently, including Keandre Cook and new signing Josh Adams. It meant that the team had to dig deep and find a way to win. They did that on the back of some magic from Casey Prather, who was exceptional. The Bullets are currently sitting on the outside of the Play-In Tournament and will need to pile up some wins if they want to play finals.

Players to watch: Derrick Walton Jr has fond memories of playing in Gippsland, which is where the Phoenix welcome the Bullets for a regional clash. Two seasons ago, the star point guard dropped 45 points and 10 assists in a double-overtime loss for his Sydney Kings. Walton Jr has been a major contributor to the recent success for the Phoenix and will have a big say in what they can achieve in the business end of the season.

Outside of the strong guard play from Brisbane, Tyrell Harrison has the height and interior presence to be a focal point in the offence. With some injury clouds still hanging over this Bullets team, it will come down to Prather and Harrison to put up points at a high level if they want to snatch a win from the Phoenix.

The stat: Brisbane is the most efficient three-point shooting team in the league (38.2%).

Missing in action: Sam McDaniel is out for the season (shoulder). James Batemon is out for season (hamstring). Keandre Cook is a game time decision. Rocco Zikarsky is a game time decision. Josh Adams is a game time decision.

Tasmania vs Perth

When: Sunday, January 12 - 2.30pm AEDT
Where: MyState Bank Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo, and Channel 10 | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: It’s another Summer Shootout down in Tasmania as the Perth Wildcats have chosen the reigning champions as their opponent. While it’s been a hard task for any team to head down to MyState Bank Arena and simply win, let alone put up a big score, the Wildcats will be feeling confident with their recent form. On the back of some more Bryce Cotton brilliance, the Wildcats are starting to hit their straps at the perfect time of the season.

Tasmania has to back up from hosting Adelaide on Friday and get ready for a red-hot Wildcats team that has their eyes on home court advantage in the Play-in Tournament. While the biggest thing for the JackJumpers is finding a way to limit Cotton, they also have to be locked in to slow down Keanu Pinder, who has played very well against them in recent contests.

Players to watch: For Tasmania, it will likely be Sean Macdonald who gets the task to try and slow down the four-time MVP from Perth. Since returning from injury, Macdonald has been a catalyst in this team finding form, especially on the offensive end. His role will have to change slightly in this game as he turns to more of a defensive stopper.

Outside of Cotton and Pinder, Perth will be hoping that Kristian Doolittle is fit and ready to return after missing significant time with a groin injury. Doolittle is one of the key pieces to the Wildcats puzzle, and the sooner he gets back into game shape, the better this team can be before the end of the season.

The stat: Perth allows the second most points in the league (96.5 per game).

Missing in action: Tai Webster is out (hamstring). Kristian Doolittle is a game time decision (groin). Will Magnay is out (toe).

Sydney vs Cairns

When: Sunday, January 12 - 4.30pm AEDT
Where: Qudos Bank Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo, and 10 Bold | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: The Taipans shocked the basketball world last week when they travelled to Illawarra and knocked off the ladder leaders in the final seconds. Adam Forde was full of praise for his team’s effort in the press conference and spoke highly about their ability to play with a mental freedom in this final part of the season. With finals off the cards for the Taipans, they still have the chance to influence who makes it to the top six and can spoil some parties along the way.

Sydney won’t be caught sleeping by the team that is on the bottom of the ladder, as it's had enough wake-up calls to be locked in for this game. What makes this match-up even more enticing, is the fact that each game the Kings play from now is vital in their quest to finish top two and be locked into a Semi-Final.

Players to watch: Kouat Noi has proven to be one of the best bench players in the league for the last few seasons, but perhaps this is his most damaging year yet. Noi has not only been very productive off the bench each game, but he has single handedly taken over games when his team has needed him on numerous occasions. When the award season rolls around, Noi will find his name right in the leading mix for the NBL’s Best Sixth Man.

When Cairns managed to pull off the unlikely victory over the Hawks, it was Taran Armstrong and Rob Edwards who delivered. The star guards had 28 points apiece, but it was Edwards' clutch three to tie the game and then Armstrong’s game-winning free-throws that proved the difference. Both Taipans leading offensive weapons have had big games in NBL25 and if they are to go into Sydney and steal a win, they’ll need to be at their best once again.

The stat: Sydney is second in the league in assists per game (19.5).

Missing in action: Jaylin Galloway is out for the season (shoulder). Keli Leaupepe is out for regular season (hamstring). Akoldah Gak is out (knee).