NBL 2026-27 Round 1 results
24 September 2026
The NBL's season opener stretched across four days and seven arenas, and home sides won five of the seven — but the two away wins both came on opening night. Adelaide 36ers stole one on the road at John Cain Arena, and South East Melbourne Phoenix put up 100 points at Perth in a result that got louder as the round went on.
Full round 1 scores
| Home | Away | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne United 95 | lost to | Adelaide 36ers 97 | John Cain Arena |
| Perth Wildcats 79 | lost to | South East Melbourne Phoenix 100 | RAC Arena |
| New Zealand Breakers 95 | def | Illawarra Hawks 81 | Spark Arena |
| Sydney Kings 111 | def | Cairns Taipans 90 | Qudos Bank Arena |
| Tasmania JackJumpers 96 | def | South East Melbourne Phoenix 91 | MyState Bank Arena |
| Brisbane Bullets 88 | def | New Zealand Breakers 85 | Nissan Arena |
| Cairns Taipans 93 | def | Tasmania JackJumpers 87 | Cairns Convention Centre |
The round in three lines
South East Melbourne Phoenix played twice in the one round, on opposite ends of the ladder — a 21-point statement win at Perth (100-79) on day one, then a narrower 91-96 loss at Tasmania two days later. The NBL's round doesn't close in a weekend the way footy's does, and round 1 was the proof.
Home sides won 5 of 7, but the round's two away wins bookended the tightest and loosest scorelines — Adelaide's 97-95 win at Melbourne United was as close as the round got, while Perth's 21-point loss to the Phoenix was its widest margin.
Sydney Kings' 111-90 win over Cairns Taipans was the round's highest-scoring game — 201 points between them, well clear of anything else on the board.
A round that runs Saturday to Wednesday and a season that goes to March — the NBL is a genuinely different shape of competition to run with your mates than the footy codes. A TippingMates ladder just keeps up with it automatically, whatever day the games actually land.