The Run Home: Battle for second heats up

As the NBL regular season winds down, the race for Finals spots is on!

The Run Home assesses each team's remaining schedule and their current form in the most important part of the season.

13 wins, 7 losses, 109.61%
(Games remaining: 9)

The Hawks have dropped their last two games, but still sit atop of the standings where they probably belong. They have been the benchmark of the competition up until this point and Justin Tatum will be hoping this recent hiccup helps his team snap back into focus. They have a friendly schedule coming up with four of their next five at home, so they would be hoping to get back on track before they head out on the road. 

The run home
R15: V Tasmania
R16: V New Zealand
R16: @ Adelaide
R17: V Melbourne
R17: V Brisbane
R18: @ Cairns
R19: @ Tasmania
R20: @ New Zealand
R20: V Sydney

13 wins, 9 losses, 104.62%
(Games remaining: 7)

Melbourne have lost five of its last six games and still have five straight road games until returning to John Cain Arena. United's only win since December 8^th was against the bottom-placed Cairns Taipans, as they look to hold onto second spot on the standings. It is one of the toughest remaining schedules, with their remaining two home games coming against two of the most in-form teams in the league.

The run home
R16: @ Sydney
R16: @ New Zealand
R17: @ Illawarra
R17: @ Perth
R18: @ Brisbane
R19: V Tasmania
R20: V South East Melbourne

13 wins, 9 losses, 104.46%
(Games remaining: 7)

The Kings have all eyes on a top two spot as they prepare to welcome Melbourne into Qudos Bank Arena on Thursday. With all the questions that have been surrounding this Sydney team, it’s still sitting in a perfect position to strike on the top teams and avoid the Play-In Tournament all together. If the Kings can finish Round 16 with two wins, then it will be feeling even better about the likelihood of finishing above United by the end of the season.

The run home
R16: V Melbourne
R16: V Cairns
R17: V Tasmania
R17: @ South East Melbourne
R18: V Adelaide
R19: @ Perth
R20: @ Illawarra

12 wins, 9 losses, 101.23%
(Games remaining: 8)

The Wildcats have been on the road for almost a month and will be counting down the days until they welcome Adelaide to RAC Arena in Round 17. Until then, they have two big challenges ahead when they venture down to Tasmania and then up to Brisbane. Both of those road trips have been challenging for the Wildcats this season, but with a nice string of home games after that, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The run home
R16: @ Tasmania
R16: @ Brisbane
R17: V Adelaide
R17: V Melbourne
R18: V Cairns
R19: V South East Melbourne
R19: @ Sydney
R20: V Adelaide

11 wins, 9 losses, 99.64%
(Games remaining: 9)

The reigning champions are clinging onto their place in the Play-In Tournament, largely due to their eight-game win streak through the month of December. The task now is to keep their head above water until they can welcome back Will Magnay from injury. It’s a tricky schedule remaining for the JackJumpers, but they’ll be hoping to at least take care of business on their home floor in Round 16 against two teams who haven’t defended well this season.

The run home
R15: @ Illawarra
R16: V Adelaide
R16: V Perth
R17: @ New Zealand
R17: @ Sydney
R18: @ South East Melbourne
R19: V Illawarra
R19: @ Melbourne
R20: V Cairns

11 wins, 10 losses, 103.59%
(Games remaining: 8)

The Phoenix arguably have the best schedule of any remaining team and with the way they have been playing under Josh King, they should be looking at a top four finish. While their city rival Melbourne spends the entire month of January on the road, the Phoenix are able to host home games at the State Basketball Centre and in Gippsland, which means they only leave the state twice before season’s end. Their final away game is also in Victoria as it’s a Throwdown at John Cain Arena.

The run home
R16: V Brisbane
R16: @ Cairns
R17: V New Zealand
R17: V Sydney
R18: V Tasmania
R19: @ Perth
R19: V Adelaide
R20: @ Melbourne

9 wins, 11 losses, 98.54%
Games remaining: 9

After only playing single game rounds through the first nine weeks of the season, Brisbane has had to endure a gruelling schedule since the FIBA break in terms of games played. That isn’t ending anytime soon, as the Bullets play three more double-headers until they head to Adelaide in Round 19. What they’ve shown throughout this tough stretch is that they have enough offensive firepower to compete with anyone, however their defence has been a big concern and their percentage is what could hold them out of the post-season.

The run home
R15: V New Zealand
R16: @ South East Melbourne
R16: V Perth
R17: V Cairns
R17: @ Illawarra
R18: @ New Zealand
R18: V Melbourne
R19: @ Adelaide
R20: @ Cairns

9 wins, 11 losses, 95.51%
Games remaining: 9

Similar to Brisbane, Adelaide needs to lift its percentage as soon as possible if it wants to play Finals basketball. The positive for the 36ers is that they have put together two impressive performances against Sydney and Melbourne recently, and have shown they can beat anyone on their night. There’s no such thing as an easy or tough schedule when every game is so important for the 36ers, because it’s not just about winning but rather lifting their percentage as best as they can at the same time.

The run home
R16: @ Tasmania
R16: V Illawarra
R17: @ Perth
R17: @ Cairns
R18: @ Sydney
R18: V New Zealand
R19: V Brisbane
R19: @ South East Melbourne
R20: @ Perth

8 wins, 12 losses, 93.72%
Games remaining: 9

It’s been a disappointing second half of the season for the Breakers, who at one point looked to be a genuine contender for a championship. After they managed to snap their losing streak against Cairns on New Year's Eve, the biggest challenge right now for this team is to find that mental drive to spoil some other teams’ Finals hopes. Looking at their remaining schedule, Brisbane and Illawarra are the two teams who New Zealand could really make things tricky for. On one hand they could hurt the Bullets' chance to make the top six, and on the other they could have a say on whether the Hawks finish top.

The run home
R15: @ Brisbane
R16: @ Illawarra
R16: V Melbourne
R17: V Tasmania
R17: @ South East Melbourne
R18: V Brisbane
R18: @ Adelaide
R19: V Cairns
R20: @ Illawarra

4 wins, 16 losses, 88.78%
Games remaining: 9

Cairns snapped its 15-game losing streak with the unlikeliest of victories over Illawarra last week. This team has been decimated with injuries all season long, and while they may have nothing to play for in terms of making the Finals, similar to the Breakers, the Taipans can spoil a lot of parties from here on out. There is enough talent on this Taipans roster to pile on some pain to the teams who are trying to get into the top six, which makes every match enticing for them.

The run home
R16: @ Sydney
R16: V South East Melbourne
R17: @ Brisbane
R17: V Adelaide
R18: V Illawarra
R18: @ Perth
R19: @ New Zealand
R20: V Brisbane
R20: @ Tasmania