Starting 5: The key talking points from Round 10

The final buzzer has sounded on Round 10 and there is plenty of movement in the standings after exciting games of NBL action.

The two most exciting games came at John Cain Arena, with Adelaide edging South East Melbourne and Melbourne outlasting Perth.

The NBL Media team looks at some key talking points from the round just gone, as the competition heads into the FIBA Break.

1 – Franchise-best start

Melbourne United sit atop the Hungry Jack's NBL26 ladder at the end of Round 10, with a franchise-best 13-2 start.

The back-to-back losses they suffered to Sydney and Illawarra feel like a distant memory now, after strong wins over fellow top four teams South East Melbourne and Perth in recent weeks, as well as exacting revenge on reigning champions Illawarra.

Powering their best ever start to a season are the stats, where Dean Vickerman's side sit in first in offensive rating (120.5), defensive rating (106.3), net rating (14.2), rebound percentage (52), points per possession (1.21) and true shooting percentage (57).

At the competition's unofficial halfway mark, United have set themselves up nicely to go one better than they have the past two seasons.

2 – Are Tasmania back?

At the end of Round 9, Tasmania had just suffered their fifth straight loss and their Finals hopes were slipping at a rate of knots.

But after an encouraging showing in Perth and a convincing win against the Kings at MyState Bank Arena, the JackJumpers might have steadied the ship.

This is no coincidence though, with key starters David Johnson and Will Magnay both returning to the court in Round 10.

And with championship-winner Anthony Drmic and young forward Kobe Williamson back soon, there's a feeling that Tasmania are set to go on a run.

3 – 36er embracing new role

Much has been made of two-time NBL champion Dejan Vasiljevic's move to the bench in Adelaide.

During his first few games in the new role, which he'd only experienced on six occasions prior to NBL26, the Australian Boomer scored 14, 3 and 9 as he adjusted to this role.

And it looked like Vasiljevic's transition to the bench role was still going to take time at the end of three quarters during Adelaide's game with South East Melbourne.

But the sharpshooter exploded, hitting five triples and scoring 17 of his 22 points in the final term, to guide the 36ers to their fourth straight victory.

If Mike Wells can get this kind of performance from Vasiljevic moving forward, the exciting 36ers will be hard to beat the rest of the way.

4 – Phoenix fail to rise to challenge

South East Melbourne had the perfect opportunity to make a statement on Saturday night.

Sitting at 9-3 and in form, Josh King's side were on their home court against a fellow championship contender.

But a 27-17 final quarter, fuelled by Vasiljevic, secured Adelaide their second win over South East Melbourne in NBL26.

In fact, the Phoenix's only four losses this season have come against Melbourne (twice) and Adelaide (twice), who both sit above them on the ladder.

If the Phoenix are to prove themselves as legitimate championship contenders, they need to prove it against the likes of Melbourne and Adelaide in the coming weeks.

5 – Breakers to win everything but the NBL championship

While the Breakers' NBL26 regular season isn't going to plan, despite defeating Cairns on Saturday, there is a realistic chance they could win two of the three pieces of silverware on offer this season.

Petteri Koponen's side took out the CODE Sports NBL Blitz in Canberra in August and currently sit in first place on the Ignite Cup ladder on 13 points.

If the Breakers produce strong performances in their two remaining Ignite Cup games, against Sydney in Hamilton and South East Melbourne at the State Basketball Centre, and walk away with points, they could be on their way to the Gold Coast for the inaugural final on February 22.

And once you're there, anything can happen, so stay tuned.

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