Starting 5: The key talking points from Round 7

Round 7 has come and gone and it delivered a mixed bag of results for many teams. On one hand there was the Cairns Taipans who suffered yet another big loss, before going into Tasmania and getting a gutsy win. Then there was the South East Melbourne Phoenix who continued to quietly build on their impressive start to NBL26.

And what about that performance from the Sydney Kings to end Melbourne United's unbeaten run?

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

1 – Gutsy Cairns‍

The Cairns Taipans suffered yet another big defeat on Thursday night and two days later had to travel to Launceston to take on Tasmania in a game that no one gave them a chance to win.

When Reyne Smith went down with an injury early, it looked even more bleak for the Taipans who found a way to dig deeper than they have all season.

Led by Jack McVeigh and Andrew Andrews, the Taipans just found a way to continue to make big shots and come away with a very gutsy win that could kick-start their season.

2 – Are Phoenix the biggest threat to United?

They say defence isn’t pretty and that’s probably a major reason as to why the Phoenix are flying under the radar this season.

Josh King has his team firing on all cylinders, led by their elite defensive pressure and they currently sit second right behind their city rival.

With Nathan Sobey currently playing some of his most damaging basketball to date, could this be the year that they finally get to that elusive Championship Series?

3 – Cooks the engine

The win over Brisbane was further proof that Xavier Cooks is the engine room in which the Sydney Kings run. When he’s playing at that level, the Kings become such a dangerous proposition on both ends of the floor.

After being in the spotlight all week, the former MVP stood tall and simply dominated the Brisbane Bullets in every way to lead to a massive win for his team.

4 – Tasmania struggling to stay afloat‍

The JackJumpers are in a rut right now and they are desperate for David Johnson to return as soon as he can from injury.

Another two losses at home, including yet another at the Silverdome, and Scott Roth is looking for answers.

Bryce Hamilton has been doing his best to carry a heavy load for his team, but outside of his offensive playmaking, the JackJumpers need more players to step up.

5 – Sydney's turning point‍

As mentioned above with Cooks' play, this whole round seemed like a giant win for the Kings and potentially the turning point in their season.

A hard-fought win over the previously undefeated Melbourne United should have this Sydney team seeing their full potential.

Kendric Davis was outstanding once again, but everyone came to the party, including Matthew Dellavedova against his former team.

Big shout out to Bul Kuol also, who probably had his most impactful and damaging game for the Kings thus far.