NBL1 recap: Week 22 (12/13 March 2022) - live streams, stats and more

There were some big results this past weekend in D1M, making a sizable impact on the late-season standings.

While top spot may already be decided, there's still plenty to play for elsewhere as teams battle it out.

That was on show this weekend as Leicester beat Midlands rivals Nottingham to boost their survival chances, whilst Newcastle picked up a pair of wins to improve their playoff seeding.

We take a look at all the weekend's action below, with links to live stats and live streams at the bottom of the page.

Leicester Warriors (4-20) 84-70 Nottingham Hoods (16-7)

Leicester did their D1M survival hopes the world of good as they beat local rivals Nottingham Hoods 84-70.

Victory on Saturday moves Leicester two points clear of Essex as things stand, though the Rebels have a pair of games with bottom side Oaklands still to play.

All the Warriors can do is take care of their own business and they did just that on Saturday, with Lewis Diankulu's 35-point, 11-rebound double-double a standout performance.

American Van Turner (20pts, 5reb, 4ast) played well in support, allowing the hosts to move ahead in the second quarter and hold the lead the rest of the way.

Nottingham were led by Andrew Vickers, who had 25 points, including four triples, to go with nine rebounds and two assists.

Essex's remaining schedule plus the Rebels holding the head-to-head tiebreaker with Leicester may mean the Warriors need at least one more win from their remaining two games, though an away day in Newcastle and a home game with Derby are both tricky matchups.

Elsewhere this weekend

Team Newcastle University (14-9) began their double-win weekend with a 105-96 victory against Essex Rebels (3-20).

Ronald Blain (26pts, 8reb, 8ast) flirted with a triple-double for the hosts, with David Moya (17pts, 12ast, 7reb) also playing well.

#1 seeds Team Solent Kestrels (21-2) just keep on rolling, this time pulling off a 111-55 win against Oaklands Wolves (2-20) as Cole Gentry (18pts, 10reb, 9ast) was another player in triple-double territory.

Thames Valley Cavaliers (17-6) strengthened their claim on second spot as they beat Worthing Thunder (16-8) 94-85 on the road.

TVC's Hakeem Sylla put in a Player of the Week worthy performance to close on 30 points and 12 rebounds, whilst Worthing's Howard Crawford (22pts, 12reb, 9ast) couldn't convert his fine afternoon's work into a W.

Loughborough Riders (8-16) left it late to beat Bradford Dragons (9-15), forcing OT right at the buzzer before winning 103-98 in OT.

Justin Hedley had 22 points for the Riders, though Bradford's Zach Gachette would lead all scorers on 26.

Hemel Storm (15-8) made short work of London Lions II (9-13), winning 93-76 behind a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double from Taylor Johnson. Fellow American Greg Poleon (24pts, 9reb) was also on song, as Shaq Lewis (19pts, 8reb) contributed well off the bench.

Loughborough and Newcastle completed their double-headers on Sunday as the North East side won 90-81, whilst Nottingham avenged their Saturday loss to Leicester by beating them 82-70 24 hours later.

The NBL Live cameras were in place to capture the nail-biter between Reading Rockets (12-11) and Derby Trailblazers (16-7), only for venue internet issues to interfere with what was a stunning contest.

Eventually finishing 88-87 to Derby, Malcolm Smith but the visitors ahead with just seven seconds remaining before Lewis Champion's triple refused to drop, handing DTB a win that pushes them firmly into the top four mix.

Smith closed on 21 points to go with seven boards as Tyler Cartaino stepped up for Reading, he had 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

This weekend's results:

Saturday 12 March

4:30pm - Leicester Warriors 84-70 Nottingham Hoods - LIVE STATS

5pm - Team Newcastle University 105-96 Essex Rebels - LIVE STATS

6pm - Team Solent Kestrels 111-55 Oaklands Wolves - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM

6:15pm - Bradford Dragons 98-103 Loughborough Riders (after 1OT)

7pm - Hemel Storm 93-76 London Lions II - LIVE STATS

7:30pm - Worthing Thunder 85-94 Thames Valley Cavaliers - LIVE STATS

Sunday 13 March

1pm - Loughborough Riders 81-90 Team Newcastle University - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM

3pm - Nottingham Hoods 82-70 Leicester Warriors - LIVE STATS

5pm - Reading Rockets 87-88 Derby Trailblazers - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM

Main image credit - Luke Simcock