Derby, Essex and others recorded key league victories on Saturday before Bradford advanced to the KitKing Trophy final on Sunday, with Reading also topping Birmingham to reach the next round of the NBL National Cup.
We take a look at all of the weekend's action below, with links to live stats and live streams at the bottom of the page.
An NBL return for the formerly retired Zaire Taylor wasn't enough to lift the Thunder this weekend as they fell 93-85 at home to Loughborough.
Taylor played just shy of 20 minutes for an efficient 12 points, but the Riders used a 28-16 opening frame to set the tone early in what would be a tip to buzzer victory.
Maxing out their lead at 26 points in the third, Loughborough deserved their win despite a late fight back from the hosts as Elijah Bailey (26pts, 4reb, 4ast) led the way.
Seth Wylie (21pts) and Harrison Gamble (14pts, 9reb) also put in a shift as the MIdlanders moved to 3-1 on the year.
Hafeez Abdul (23pts, 9reb) did the bulk of the heavy lifting for Worthing, who slip to tenth in the standings following a third loss in four outings.
With a trip to Derby coming up next for Thunder, that form might not be changing any time soon.
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WIN!
— Loughborough Basketball (@lborobasketball) November 4, 2023
Riders hung onto their early lead to lock in the victory over Worthing Thunder in the @NBLengland!
📊https://t.co/bTMIPUJWSj#BritishBasketball pic.twitter.com/9LilWHHIfC
Derby Trailblazers (4-1) continued their good start to season with a 99-88 road win against Newcastle University (1-2).
33 points from Derby guard Sam Masten and 31 more from Malcolm Smith were too much for the hosts to overcome as veteran forward Rob Marsden tacked on a 10 point, 16 rebound double-double for good measure.
Bradford Dragons (1-4) came out second best in an entertaining clash against Essex Rebels (3-1), with a 107-100 final score.
Kyron Martin (24pts) led the way for Essex, who shot an impressive 58% from the field to pick up their third win of the season, cancelling out an 18 point, 11 rebound double-double from Bradford's Zion Tordoff.
Reigning champs Hemel Storm (3-2) had no problem keeping Barking Abbey (0-5) at the foot of the D1M standings, winning 102-63.
The young BA side had no answer for Hemel's Hakeem Sylla, who enjoyed a game-high 21 points.
Nottingham Hoods (3-1) remain in the top four after beating Thames Valley Cavaliers (1-4) 96-87.
Nottingham's Johde Campbell had a quality outing to close with 31 points, six boards and four assists in one of the performances of the weekend.
Reading moved on to the next round of the NBL National Cup after a solid 101-78 victory against fellow D1M outfit City of Birmingham Rockets.
The 2013/14 winners raced out of the blocks to take control of the contest, turning a 59-45 half-time lead into a comfortable win.
It was a disappointing performance from CoB who, given their early season D1M form, may have seen the National Cup as an avenue towards potential silverware this season.
Instead it'll be Reading who have their name in the hat for the next round, looking to emulate their success of nearly a decade ago.
A Justin Williams masterclass ended Hemel Storm's defence of the KitKing Trophy, with Bradford seeing off the reigning champs 80-70 to book a spot in this year's final.
Williams was unstoppable on his way to a game-high 33 points, splashing five triples and shooting 59% across the contest.
Sam Newman (18pts, 6ast) and Hakeem Sylla (15pts, 15ast) did their best to keep Hemel's repeat dreams alive, but it wasn't to be against a Bradford team who are now just one game away from their first top flight competition win.
The other semi-final between Reading Rockets and Derby Trailblazers is scheduled for 26 November.
2pm - Newcastle University 88-98 Derby Trailblazers - LIVE STATS
6:15pm - Bradford Dragons 100-107 Essex Rebels - LIVE STATS
7pm - Hemel Storm 102-63 Barking Abbey - LIVE STATS
7pm - Thames Valley Cavaliers 87-96 Nottingham Hoods - LIVE STATS
7:30pm - Worthing Thunder 85-93 Loughborough Riders - LIVE STATS
National Cup, 4pm - Reading Rockets 101-78 COB Rockets - LIVE STREAM
KitKing Trophy, 4:15pm - Bradford Dragons 80-70 Hemel Storm - LIVE STATS
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Main image credit - Luke Simcock
