Starting 5: The key talking points from Round 21

Round 21 saw Sydney continue to surge, while Adelaide and South East Melbourne returned to the winner's circle.

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

1 – Come and get it

The Sydney Kings have further cemented themselves as the best team in the league with two convincing wins in the penultimate round. They started with an easy win over the Hawks and then pushed away from the Perth Wildcats to send a message to the competition that the championship goes through Sydney. Led by Kendric Davis, each of these Kings players are thriving in their roles and the joy is evident with how well they are playing cohesively.

2 – Bounce back with a vengeance

The Phoenix had to bounce back after a big week in the headlines, and they did it in style, utilising their incredible depth to beat the JackJumpers on their home floor. After Majok Deng began the game on fire, the Phoenix continued to chip away with their bench unit to get a strong enough buffer to put the game out of reach. While their defence has slipped in recent weeks, their offensive talent was on full display to put up 120 points.

3 – MVP coin toss

It’s official, this year’s MVP is a coin toss between Bryce Cotton and Kendric Davis. There is simply no wrong answer and if they were to tie the award, for just the third time in history, it seems like it would be a fitting result. Both stars have been incredible in NBL26, leading from the front for their team in similar but very different fashions. Their abilities to take over a game when required and also balance getting their teammates involved is what sets them apart as the two best players in the competition.

4 – Stumbling home

Melbourne United are officially limping to the end of the season, both figuratively and literally. With their form slumping in recent weeks, the injury to Shea Ili in Cairns further added to their pain. There has been no clear and obvious issue with United’s form, with both their defence and offensive problems becoming more apparent with every game. The fascinating discussion around this team is that they still have the same talent available that began the season 9-0, which adds more dilemmas to them trying to solve their issues.

5- Igniting the confidence

The Breakers may have lost their Ignite Cup Final preview last round, but they will take plenty of confidence out of the game. A tough coaches challenge late put the finishing touches in their chances on Saturday, but they held a double-digit lead throughout the game that should give them plenty to smile about. They shot the ball well and pushed the pace to give Adelaide a taste of its own medicine, which will be fascinating if they can maintain that next week with money on the line.