NBL Starting 5: The key talking points leading into Round 4

NBL • October 8th, 2025 2:24 pm

The big storylines heading into Round 4 including Bryce Cotton's brilliance, Tasmania's new spark and Perth's son of a gun.

The round is highlighted with a big double header for the Adelaide 36ers, which includes Kendric Davis’ return to his former team.

Meanwhile the Ignite Cup begins on Wednesday night with all eyes on the $400,000 of prize money up for grabs.

Pete Hooley looks at some key talking points from the round just gone.

Talking points

1 – Big city clash

If history tells us anything, anytime that Sydney and Melbourne face off, it’s more than just a game. The rivalry between two of the big city teams means more than just the 40 minutes of action and I’m expecting this to have an extra layer of spice with Matthew Dellavedova playing his former team for the first time.

For United, Milton Doyle has been excellent in their three wins to start the season and will be feeling even better after his performance against the New Orleans Pelicans. As good as he’s been, it’s Dutch big man Jesse Edwards who could cause some big problems for the Kings.

2 – Bryce Vs Bryce

Two of the top five leading scorers in the league will lock horns on Thursday, as Bryce Cotton welcomes Bryce Hamilton to Adelaide. Cotton has picked up right where he left off last season, averaging over 33 points across his first two games and dishing out over six assists.

Hamilton has been just as impressive for Tasmania, helping lead them to three straight road wins, averaging 20 points and five rebounds. This game will be a particularly fun watch, with neither roster having a point of attack defender to try and slow down the other.

3- Davis returns to Adelaide

It’s arguably the most anticipated game of the season, outside of Cotton returning to Perth. Kendric Davis’ exit from Adelaide created headlines for many reasons and now he returns to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre with a point to prove. The star guard was phenomenal on Saturday night, helping the Kings get their first win of the season and will be hoping to silence a sold-out rowdy crowd in Adelaide.

4 – Brisbane’s next challenge

After winning their season opener in New Zealand, the Bullets have lost three straight and are feeling some early heat. The positive for Stu Lash is that those losses have been close, with two of them by less than one field goal. The negative for the Bullets is their injury list that continues to pile up once again, with Casey Prather and Javon Freeman-Liberty the latest to miss games.

The Bullets face an Illawarra team that will be out to make a statement and get their season back on track. For me, it’s the JaVale McGee and Tyrell Harrison matchup that will dictate how this game goes.

5- United’s bogey team

Believe it or not, but the Cairns Taipans have beaten United in six of their last nine games, going back to the beginning of NBL23. There has always been something about the way Cairns play with a different level of confidence for games against United, that has always caused some trouble for Dean Vickerman’s men.

The full schedule

New Zealand Breakers v IllawarraHawks - Wednesday, October 8, 5.30pm AEDT - Spark Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Sydney Kings v Melbourne United - Wednesday, October 8, 7.30pm AEDT - Qudos Bank Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Adelaide 36ers v Tasmania JackJumpers - Thursday, October 9, 7.30pm AEDT - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Cairns Taipans v Perth Wildcats - Friday, October 10, 7.30pm AEDT - Cairns Convention Centre
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets - Saturday, October 11, 5.30pm AEDT - WIN Entertainment Centre
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Adelaide 36ers v Sydney Kings - Saturday, October 11, 8pm AEDT - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

New Zealand Breakers v South East Melbourne Phoenix - Sunday, October 12, 2.30pm AEDT - Spark Arena
Watch: ESPN and Channel 10 | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Melbourne United v Cairns Taipans - Sunday, October 12, 4.30pm AEDT - John Cain Arena
Watch: ESPN and Channel 10 | Scores and stats: Game Centre

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NBL Starting 5: The key talking points leading into Round 4

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