Starting 5: Blockbusters, winning streaks and star's moments

This seven-game slate features one massive Ignite Cup clash, two must-see blockbusters and plenty of crucial matchups.

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All the action tips off on Wednesday night with Sydney hosting New Zealand in a Canberra Ignite Cup fixture from 7.30pm AEDT.

Courtney Ward takes a look at some of the key storylines ahead of Round 5.

>> Ignite Cup, NBL27: Schedule, tickets, rules & more

The full schedule

Sydney Kings v New Zealand Breakers - Wednesday, October 14, 7.30pm AEDT - AIS Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Brisbane Bullets v South East Melbourne Phoenix - Thursday, October 15, 7.30pm AEDT - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Tasmania JackJumpers v Adelaide 36ers - Friday, October 16, 7.30pm AEDT - MyState Bank Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

South East Melbourne Phoenix v Cairns Taipans - Saturday, October 17, 5.30pm AEDT - John Cain Arena
Watch: ESPN, 9Go! and 9Now | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Sydney Kings v Perth Wildcats - Saturday, October 17, 7.30pm AEDT - Afterpay Arena
Watch: ESPN, 9Go! and 9Now | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Tasmania JackJumpers v New Zealand Breakers - Sunday, October 18, 3pm AEDT - MyState Bank Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks - Sunday, October 18, 5pm AEDT - John Cain Arena
Watch: ESPN | Scores and stats: Game Centre

Talking points

1 – Mouthwatering matchups

All seven games in Round 5 present their own storylines and intrigue, but the two that all fans’ eyes will be on are in Tasmania and Sydney.

Firstly, on Friday night, arguably the hottest team in the League, Tasmania, hosts an Adelaide side fresh off what could be a season-defining win.

The fixture will pit the second-best offence in Tasmania (124.2 offensive rating) against the second-worst defensive side in Adelaide (121.2), as well as matching up Taran Armstrong and Bryce Cotton.

Then on Saturday, the Kings will host an in-form Perth Wildcats side, in the latter’s first game away from RAC Arena in NBL27.

Elijah Pepper is emerging as one of the League’s legitimate stars and a combination of Makuach Maluach and Torrey Craig defensively will present his biggest challenge to date.

Buckle up, as both fixtures should be box office.

2 – Mennenga’s moment

We saw how dominant Sam Mennenga can be when the offence ran through him on Saturday night against Perth.

He became the first player in Breakers history, and the first in the NBL’s 40-minute era, to post 40 points and 18 rebounds in a game, a statline no one in the League had produced since 1996.

With Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Nelson Weidemann both unavailable for either of the Breakers' Round 5 clashes, expect Mennenga’s usage to be sky-high once again.

He currently sits seventh in the League in usage at 28.4 per cent, but I predict he'll come close to Cole Anthony's League-leading 38.5 per cent this round.

3 – 400-game milestone for two-time champion

Throughout his first 399 games, Mitch Norton has established himself as one of the most consistent point guards of his era.

During stints at Townsville, Illawarra, Perth and Brisbane, the 33-year-old has won two NBL titles and one NBL Cup, while also becoming one of the League’s nice guys.

Now, on Thursday, Norton will become just the 54th player in League history to chalk up 400 games, which is a testament to his resiliency, hard work and commitment to his craft.

Congrats, Norto, enjoy the milestone.

4 – Winning streaks

Heading into Round 5, Perth have won four straight matches, while both Tasmania and Cairns are on three-game streaks.

Of that group, the most impressive might be the Taipans, who seem to have found their groove offensively.

Jaylon Brown is hoopin’ and complements the likes of Jack McVeigh, Keanu Pinder, Jonah Bolden and Malique Lewis well.

The scary thing for the League is that emerging star Jaylin Galloway is closing in on a return, which will make the Taipans even more dangerous.

Not to be outdone are Melbourne United, who accounted for Adelaide and South East Melbourne last round, and seem to be gradually figuring things out, which they’ll look to do once again against Illawarra on Sunday.

5 – Makuach this space

Going into the NBL27 Season, many tipped rising star Makuach Maluach as their Most Improved Player favourite.

As it stands, Elijah Pepper might already have one hand on that award, but Maluach now has his opportunity to shine with Matthew Dellavedova sidelined.

The NSW product currently leads the League in offensive rating (167.5), true shooting percentage (0.895), effective field goal percentage (0.900) and total shooting percentage (215), so it’ll be intriguing to see how productive he can be for Brian Goorjian’s side in extra minutes.

He’s currently equal second in the team in scoring, alongside Xavier Cooks at 15 points a game, but I expect that to push above 20 as long as Dellavedova is out.