Weekend Preview: June 16-18

Each week across the NBL1 there are countless games to watch. But here are three key games from the weekend to keep your eye on ahead of another massive slate of NBL1 action. 

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See the full NBL1 fixture here. 

Friday: (Men’s NBL1 West) Rockingham Flames vs Willetton Tigers

The reigning NBL1 National Champions will take on the fourth-placed Willetton Tigers in a must-watch Friday night clash. 

The battle of the bigs starts with Willetton’s Gorjok Gak vs Rockingham’s new import Jeremy Combs. Both forwards are averaging over 18.5 points and seven rebounds. 

The two teams feature MVP contenders, with the 2022 MVP Devondrick Walker still leading the conference in scoring. While the Tigers’ star guard Darnell Hoskins is leading Willetton in scoring with close to 23 points per game – proving to be one of the more clutch players this season. 

Darnell Hoskins Jr. is him ?

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Watch the NBL1 West Game of the Week Live and Free via Kayo Freebies from 8:30pm AWST here. 

Saturday: (Women’s NBL1 North) South West Metro Pirates vs Northside Wizards

The two top NBL1 North women’s teams will go head-to-head this weekend in possibly the game of the weekend. 

The 12-0 Northside Wizards will take on the 11-3 South West Metro Pirates, the first time this season the two powerhouses will face off. 

The Pirates’ Maddy Rocci and Leah Scott have formed a dynamic duo, while the Wizards’ Courtney Woods has gone to a new level – leading the MVP race in the North.

This game will also be the first time two former teammates will face off as Northside’s Lil Dart will play against Leah Scott for the first time since they were teammates with the Southern District Spartans in the 2022 Coles Express NBL National Finals. 

Watch the game live on Saturday from 5:30pm AEST via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here. 

Sunday: (Women’s NBL1 South) Bendigo Braves vs Eltham Wildcats 

The 14-0 Bendigo Btaves will face off against one of the tougher teams in the NBL1 South, the Eltham Wildcats, on Sunday afternoon.

In their past eight matches, they’ve held seven teams to under 70 points – winning every game they held a team under that mark.

But their defence will be tested on Sunday, as they face off against the high-powered offence that is the Bendigo Braves. The team is averaging 90.7 points per game and had three players averaging over 16 points per game. 

Their defence is led by Rebecca Pizzey, the WNBL forward is averaging 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds. 2.8 assists, two steals and one block per game for the Finals contending Wildcats this season.

Megan McKay will be Pizzey’s primary focus as the double-double machine will be ready to box out the Wildcats.

Watch the game live Sunday from 12:00pm via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here.