With Round 9 heating up, plenty of questions remain unanswered. In the biggest game of the round – rivals Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks – who keeps their streak alive?
Which Queensland team can claw out a much-needed win to keep their season alive?
And finally, can the Perth Wildcats build on their emotional victory last weekend as they take on the red-hot New Zealand Breakers?
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Round 9 is shaping as must-watch basketball – and here are your Burning Questions.
WHO KEEPS THEIR HOT STREAK ALIVE?
In what shapes as the most exciting clash of the round, the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks are set to battle it out at the WIN Entertainment Centre. Both sides enter this one in strong form – the Kings riding a three-game winning streak and the Hawks on a two-game surge.
This matchup has intrigue written all over it. The unofficial NBL25 Grand Final MVP Will Hickey goes head-to-head with the official winner Matthew Dellavedova, while Kendric Davis faces off against Tyler Harvey in a battle of dynamic guards.
Down low, JaVale McGee and Tim Soares square off, and Xavier Cooks looks to make his mark in transition. Adding another layer of spice, Brian Goorjian – a former Hawks coach – will stand opposite Justin Tatum on the sidelines.
Expect a fast, physical contest, as both teams know what’s at stake. Continuing their momentum – and keeping their seasons alive – will be the key focus. For Sydney, the challenge lies in limiting McGee’s interior dominance while allowing Cooks to push the pace and test him in the open court.
McGee has been a dominant force all season long, but Goorjian believes his group is ready for the task.
“Doing whatever we can to stop him, but also trying to put him in situations that are going to be tough for him,” Goorjian told Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast.
Hickey has also been a nightmare matchup since returning from injury, though he’ll face his toughest test yet against the Kings’ backcourt duo of Davis and Dellavedova.
This rivalry showdown promises to be fiery, physical, and full of highlights – and ultimately, it’ll come down to which team can dictate the tempo.
Dominant 4th Qtr leads Wildcats to win | 01:22
CAN THE BULLETS REGROUP AGAINST MELBOURNE UNITED?
If a 113-84 loss to the New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday night wasn’t already tough enough, losing superstar Casey Prather on top of it made the blow even heavier.
While the extent of his knee injury hasn’t yet been confirmed, it’s safe to assume he’ll miss significant time after going down awkwardly in the second half.
“It’s hard. Yeah, it’s hard. I mean, he’s a great person. He’s a great ambassador for the club. He’s a leader for us. So we all know what he’s been through and what he does for us on a day-to-day,” head coach Stu Lash said post-game.
Before exiting, Prather had 26 points and 8 rebounds in just 26 minutes, continuing what has been a career-best statistical season across points, rebounds, steals, and field goal percentage. His expected absence now becomes the biggest challenge the Bullets have faced all year.
Attention now shifts to Saturday night, where Brisbane travel to Melbourne to take on ladder-leading Melbourne United. At 10-2, United have been dominant on both ends of the floor, and many will expect a similar outcome to the Bullets’ loss to the Breakers.
Brisbane, however, will be desperate to respond – especially after Lash made his frustrations clear.
“Make no mistake, tonight was an embarrassment for our fans. Just not good enough, not tough enough, not physical enough.”
If the Bullets fall again, particularly by a large margin, the pressure will inevitably rise on first-year head coach Stu Lash. Saturday’s clash looms as a crucial test: a chance to rally, reshape their identity without Prather, and show they can compete against the league’s best – or risk sliding further down the ladder.
Hawks travel to beat Taipans in Cairns | 01:03
CAN THE CAIRNS TAIPANS TAKE A SCALP?
The Cairns Taipans sit alone at the bottom of the NBL ladder at 3-9, and their recent form has been anything but encouraging. They’ve dropped four of their past five games, losing by an average margin of 26 points in that stretch.
While they’ve been working Jack McVeigh back into the lineup, dealing with the loss of key role player Alex Higgins-Titsha, and reintegrating Mojave King, the Taipans have struggled to find both the offensive rhythm and defensive consistency needed to compete in the NBL.
This round presents a critical test: matchups against the South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Adelaide 36ers – two opportunities to take a scalp and potentially breathe life into a season that’s slipping away.
To do that, Cairns will need a significantly different approach. Both the Phoenix and 36ers sit in the top tier of the league in points per game, scoring efficiently from the field and from three. They also create difficult matchups: the Phoenix with their balanced roster, and the 36ers with Bryce Cotton leading the way – a player who has historically torched Cairns.
The Taipans, at this point, have nothing to lose. Any preseason expectations have evaporated, and they’re rapidly drifting off the league’s radar. With a real possibility of falling to 3-11, they must win at least one game this week to keep their season – however slim the hope – alive.
Wildcats win despite Cotton’s 23-PT’s | 01:11
CAN THE PERTH WILDCATS WIN A GAME THEY SHOULD?
The Perth Wildcats are coming off their biggest win of the season – a statement victory over former Wildcat Bryce Cotton and the Adelaide 36ers. Riding that momentum into Round 9, they now face the New Zealand Breakers, who are fresh off a dominant win against the Brisbane Bullets.
For Perth, this season has been a blend of inconsistency and excitement. Their best basketball looks like top-tier NBL talent, but their lows have been costly. With the Breakers visiting RAC Arena, the Wildcats will be eager to build on last week’s performance as their roster finally begins to settle and take shape.
From Bryce Cotton last week to Parker Jackson-Cartwright this week, the Wildcats will again be tested at the guard spot – with David Duke Jr. likely tasked with handling that matchup. The frontcourt battle is equally enticing: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. vs Sam Mennenga, and the import duos Dylan Windler/Kristian Doolittle up against Izayah Brockington/Rob Baker. This game is stacked with intriguing matchups across the board.
The Breakers may sit at 4-9, but they arrive with confidence. Their recent form includes a tight four-point loss to Adelaide, a seven-point defeat to the surging Sydney Kings, and their emphatic demolition of Brisbane.
When these sides met earlier in the season, the difference was composure. The Wildcats executed late, closing the game with a strong final push to win 89-78. A similar scenario is likely this time – and whichever team can execute late, find tough shots, and limit mistakes will take this one.
For Perth, the equation is simple: win, and you build on last weekend’s spark and finally generate some real momentum.
For the Breakers, a win pulls them back toward the top six and marks them as a team to watch in the run home.
It might look like just another Saturday night fixture in Round 9 – but this one carries serious weight for both clubs.
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