We are now five games away from crowning a new NBL champion for the 2022-23 season. The final will be played between Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers.

The first match of the five-match series will start on the 3rd of March. Three games will take place at Qudos Bank Arena, which is the Kings’ home venue, and two matches at Spark Arena, which is the home court of the Breakers.

However, in the semi-final, each team play each other thrice. Kings played against the Taipans, and the Breakers encountered the JackJunpers. Sydney and the Breakers won two games against their opponents and qualified for the final championship.

In the first semi-final match, Breakers beat JackJunpers at 20 points margin with a scoreline of 88-68. Dererk Pardon was the best player of the game for breakers, who contributed 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. McDowell-White also chipped in 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

At Qudos Bank Arena, the Kings and Taipans played the next match. In the game, the home team Sydney made a comeback in the last two quarters and won the match with a 95-87 scoreline.

Xavier Cooks (27 points, 14 ) and Walton Jr (21 points, 5 assists) led the comeback of the King. DJ Hogg delivered once again for the Taipans with 24 points.

In the second encounter, both the finalist lost their matches. The Tasmanian won the game at 89-78 scoreline against New Zealand at MyState Bank Arena. Milton Doyle (23 points, 5 assists) was the hero for the winning team.

In the other game, Cairns beat Sydney 93-82 on their home court Cairns Convention Centre. Hogg’s 25 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block set the tone for the home team.

After the two matches, the semi-final series was level at 1-1. Among the four teams, everyone won their home match. According to the tournament rule, the third game went to play on the home court of the league’s top two position-holder teams.

Kings and Breakers benefited from the new rules by finishing first and second, respectively, in the league. In the semifinal series, the last match was played on 19th February. The equation was clear winners of the two games would play for the championship.

Kings and Taipans met in the Qudos Bank Arena for the third time. With the whole team effort, Sydney was able to get over the line against Cairns instead of the heroic of Ben Ayre’s 20 points and Sam Waardenburg’s 17 points. 

The scoreline was 79-64, and with this convenient win, Sydney made their place in the final.

In the other game at the Spark Arena, Breakers hosted the JackJunpers. With the superb performance of Barry Brown Jr home team comfortably beat the visitors with a margin of 15 points and a 92-77 scoreline.

Brown alone scored 32 points while Pardon contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds to earn New Zealend’s place in the final.