2024 NBL Finals

2024 NBL Finals
TeamCoachWins
Melbourne United Dean Vickerman 2
Tasmania JackJumpers Scott Roth 3
Countries Australia
 New Zealand
Dates28 February – 31 March
Season2023–24
Teams6
Defending championsSydney Kings
MVPJack McVeigh (Tasmania)
SemifinalistsPerth Wildcats
Illawarra Hawks
Matches played14
Attendance98,469 (7,034 per match)
Scoring leaderJack McVeigh
17.8
All statistics correct as of 31 March 2024.
← 2023 NBL finals 2025 →

The 2024 NBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball League's 2023–24 season.

As Australia and New Zealand participated in 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualification, the league took a break during the FIBA international window of 18–28 February 2024.[1]

Format

The finals was played in February and March 2024 between the top six teams of the regular season, consisting of three play-in games, two best-of-three semifinal series and the best-of-five Grand Final series, where the highest seed hosted the first, third and fifth games.[2]

The top two seeds in the regular season automatically qualified to the semifinals. Teams ranked three to six competed in the play-in tournament. The third seed played the fourth seed for third spot and the loser played the winner of fifth or sixth for the fourth seed.[3][4]

Qualification

Qualified teams

Team Date of
qualification 		Round of
qualification 		Finals
appearance 		Previous
appearance 		Previous best
performance 		Ref.
Melbourne United 26 January 2024 17 28th 2022 Champions (1993, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2021) [5]
Perth Wildcats 27 January 2024 17 37th 2023 Champions (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) [6]
Tasmania JackJumpers 10 February 2024 19 3rd 2023 Runners-up (2022) [7]
Illawarra Hawks 15 February 2024 20 23rd 2022 Champions (2001) [8]
Sydney Kings 17 February 2024 20 18th 2023 Champions (2003, 2004, 2005, 2022, 2023) [9]
New Zealand Breakers 18 February 2024 20 10th 2023 Champions (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) [10]

Ladder

Pos 2023–24 NBL season
Team Pld W L PCT Last 5 Streak Home Away PF PA PP
1 Melbourne United 28 20 8 71.43% 3–2 W1 11–3 9–5 2615 2454 106.56%
2 Perth Wildcats 28 17 11 60.71% 2–3 L2 10–4 7–7 2630 2563 102.61%
3 Tasmania JackJumpers 28 16 12 57.14% 4–1 W4 8–6 8–6 2564 2378 107.82%
4 Illawarra Hawks 28 14 14 50.00% 3–2 L1 8–6 6–8 2547 2518 101.15%
5 Sydney Kings 28 13 15 46.43% 2–3 W1 7–7 6–8 2672 2602 102.69%
6 New Zealand Breakers 28 13 15 46.43% 3–2 L1 8–6 5–9 2498 2480 100.73%
7 Brisbane Bullets 28 13 15 46.43% 2–3 L1 8–6 5–9 2458 2534 97.00%
8 Cairns Taipans 28 12 16 42.86% 1–4 W1 7–7 5–9 2506 2589 96.79%
9 Adelaide 36ers 28 12 16 42.86% 3–2 W1 9–5 3–11 2457 2563 95.86%
10 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 28 10 18 35.71% 1–4 L4 7–7 3–11 2425 2691 90.12%

Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au

Ladder progression

Leader and qualification to semifinals
Qualification to semifinals
Qualification to play-in games
Last place
2023–24 NBL season
Team ╲ Round1234567891011121314151617181920
Adelaide 36ers9101097888910101010101099999
Brisbane Bullets12676576667996545657
Cairns Taipans86343767776679767888
Illawarra Hawks10891091010101088885686444
Melbourne United31111111111111111111
New Zealand Breakers475610999899768978766
Perth Wildcats65888654353222222222
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix5975234553555781010101010
Sydney Kings23234222442434454575
Tasmania JackJumpers74425433224343333333
Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au

Seedings

  1. Melbourne United
  2. Perth Wildcats
  3. Tasmania JackJumpers
  4. Illawarra Hawks
  5. Sydney Kings
  6. New Zealand Breakers

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Playoff Bracket

Play-in / Seeding qualifierPlay-in gameSemifinalsGrand Final
5Sydney Kings761Melbourne United115108100
6New Zealand Breakers834Illawarra Hawks10611394
4Illawarra Hawks881Melbourne United10477918881
6New Zealand Breakers853Tasmania JackJumpers8182938683
3Tasmania JackJumpers922Perth Wildcats899484
4Illawarra Hawks763Tasmania JackJumpers81102100


Play-in tournament

Seeding qualifier

(3) Tasmania JackJumpers vs. (4) Illawarra Hawks

28 February 2024
17:30
Tasmania JackJumpers 92–76 Illawarra Hawks
Scoring by quarter: 29–17, 22–27, 19–19, 22–13
Pts: McVeigh
Rebs: McVeigh 11
Asts: Doyle 10		 Pts: Clark 21
Rebs: Clark 10
Asts: Robinson 3
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Kenny Widgeon, Mitch Hare

Play-in qualifier

(5) Sydney Kings vs. (6) New Zealand Breakers

28 February 2024
19:30
Sydney Kings 76–83 New Zealand Breakers
Scoring by quarter: 22–15, 25–23, 13–22, 16–23
Pts: Adams 18
Rebs: Valentine 8
Asts: Adams 5		 Pts: Jackson-Cartwright 34
Rebs: Mathiang 10
Asts: Jackson-Cartwright 6
Sydney SuperDome, Sydney
Attendance: 8,231
Referees: Michael Aylen, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes

Play-in game

(4) Illawarra Hawks vs. (6) New Zealand Breakers

4 March 2024
19:30
Illawarra Hawks 88–85 New Zealand Breakers
Scoring by quarter: 31–17, 11–25, 24–21, 22–22
Pts: Robinson 26
Rebs: Froling 9
Asts: Robinson 3		 Pts: Jackson-Cartwright 19
Rebs: Cheatham 9
Asts: Jackson-Cartwright 9
Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Attendance: 5,178
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, James Griguol

Semifinals series

(1) Melbourne United vs. (4) Illawarra Hawks

7 March 2024
19:30
Melbourne United 115–106 (OT) Illawarra Hawks
Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 31–28, 18–27, 26–16, Overtime: 15–6
Pts: Dellavedova 30
Rebs: Lual-Acuil 9
Asts: Dellavedova 10		 Pts: Froling 26
Rebs: Clark 12
Asts: Robinson 7
Melbourne leads series, 1–0
John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Attendance: 8,232
Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock
10 March 2024
15:00
Illawarra Hawks 113–108 (OT) Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 31–24, 23–26, 24–22, Overtime: 16–11
Pts: Clark 31
Rebs: Clark 16
Asts: Froling 4		 Pts: Dellavedova 20
Rebs: Lual-Acuil, Travers 7
Asts: Dellavedova 8
Series tied, 1–1
Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Attendance: 5,631
Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock
13 March 2024
19:30
Melbourne United 100–94 Illawarra Hawks
Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 24–23, 22–18, 24–29
Pts: Ili 22
Rebs: Travers 11
Asts: Dellavedova 5		 Pts: Froling 23
Rebs: Clark, Hickey 6
Asts: Robinson 7
Melbourne wins series, 2–1
John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Attendance: 6,288
Referees: Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare, Ruben Woolcock

(2) Perth Wildcats vs. (3) Tasmania JackJumpers

8 March 2024
18:30
Perth Wildcats 89–81 Tasmania JackJumpers
Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 22–19, 16–15, 27–23
Pts: Pinder 25
Rebs: Cotton, Pinder 7
Asts: Cotton 5		 Pts: Crawford 19
Rebs: Magnay 8
Asts: Doyle 6
Perth leads series, 1–0
Perth Arena, Perth
Attendance: 10,624
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes
11 March 2024
19:30
Tasmania JackJumpers 102–94 Perth Wildcats
Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 26–23, 27–21, 28–21
Pts: Doyle 24
Rebs: Magnay 7
Asts: Macdonald 5		 Pts: Cotton 26
Rebs: Doolittle 9
Asts: H.Harris, Usher 4
Series tied, 1–1
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes
13 March 2024
18:30
Perth Wildcats 84–100 Tasmania JackJumpers
Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 24–31, 21–25, 20–23
Pts: Cotton 21
Rebs: Pinder 7
Asts: H.Harris, T.Webster 3		 Pts: McVeigh 27
Rebs: Magnay 9
Asts: Doyle 9
Tasmania wins series, 2–1
Perth Arena, Perth
Attendance: 7,467
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, James Griguol

Grand Final series

(1) Melbourne United vs. (3) Tasmania JackJumpers

17 March 2024
16:00
Melbourne United 104–81 Tasmania JackJumpers
Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 25–17, 25–22, 28–18
Pts: Goulding 22
Rebs: Lual-Acuil 11
Asts: Dellavedova 6		 Pts: Drmic 18
Rebs: Doyle 8
Asts: Macdonald, McVeigh 3
Melbourne leads series, 1–0
John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Attendance: 9,108
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare
22 March 2024
19:30
Tasmania JackJumpers 82–77 Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 17–21, 20–19, 22–14
Pts: McVeigh 16
Rebs: Doyle 10
Asts: Crawford, McVeigh 4		 Pts: Ili 20
Rebs: Lual-Acuil 11
Asts: Dellavedova 7
Series tied, 1–1
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare
24 March 2024
17:30
Melbourne United 91–93 Tasmania JackJumpers
Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 19–23, 25–19, 22–31
Pts: Dellavedova 21
Rebs: Hukporti 9
Asts: Dellavedova 8		 Pts: McVeigh 18
Rebs: McVeigh 12
Asts: Doyle 7
Tasmania leads series, 2–1
John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Attendance: 10,175
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare
28 March 2024
19:30
Tasmania JackJumpers 86–88 Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 19–24, 27–26, 20–21
Pts: McVeigh 28
Rebs: Drmic 8
Asts: Doyle, Drmic 3		 Pts: Clark 18
Rebs: Travers 11
Asts: Dellavedova 6
Series tied, 2–2
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart
Attendance: 4,340
Referees: Michael Aylen, Vaughan Mayberry, Mitch Hare
31 March 2024
16:00
Melbourne United 81–83 Tasmania JackJumpers
Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 13–18, 19–15, 18–24
Pts: Lual-Acuil 14
Rebs: Hukporti 15
Asts: Dellavedova 7		 Pts: Crawford 32
Rebs: Magnay 12
Asts: Doyle, Macdonald 2
Tasmania wins series, 3–2
John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Attendance: 10,175
Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Mitch Hare

Media coverage

Television

Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN. All games are available live on ESPN and the streaming platform Kayo Freebies.[11] Network 10 will broadcast Sunday afternoon games on 10 Peach and 10 Play.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pots, procedure confirmed for FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Draw". FIBA. 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ "NBL24 Finals Begin February 28". NBL.com.au. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Finals: What You Need to Know". NBL.com.au. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  4. ^ "New Finals Shake Up". NBL.com.au. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Melbourne locks in top two". NBL.com.au. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Wildcats too good for depleted SEM Phoenix in NBL". ESPN.com.au. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  7. ^ "JackJumpers hammer increasingly shorthanded Phoenix in NBL". ESPN.com.au. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Injury-hit Wildcats focus on toning down NBL emotions". Examiner.com.au. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Kings thump Phoenix, beat Bullets to NBL finals berth". ESPN.com.au. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Breakers beat Bullets to lock in NBL Finals spot". ESPN.com.au. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  11. ^ "NBL Achieves History-Making Media Deal". NBL.com.au. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Network 10 Becomes NBL Free-to-Air Partner". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 17 February 2024.