One of the weekend's NBL1 encounters features a rematch of last season's KitKing Trophy final as three teams look to close the gap at the top.
MK Breakers host the Hemel Storm in the KitKing Trophy semi-finals on Sunday.
The KitKing Trophy competition is organised by NBL1 Men's clubs in partnership with naming rights holder Kitking.co.uk and Basketball England.
The newly-promoted Breakers advanced to the last four of the Trophy with a comfortable 95-68 win over last season's finalists Bradford Dragons.
MK shot an impressive 56% from the field against the Yorkshire outfit. KJ Johnson and Nate Robinson both posted 20 points to lead the way, with the former dishing seven assists.
Standing in Milton Keynes' way are the 2023 KitKing Trophy winners, Hemel, who overcame Loughborough Riders in the quarter-finals.
It was a four-point game going into the final quarter of play, and it was all to play for. However, the Storm bolted past the Riders, eventually sealing a 22-13 fourth period to take a 95-82 win.
Trent Monkman led Hemel with 24 points, but veteran guard Sam Newman stole the show, posting a majestic 13-point, 10-rebound, 14-assist triple-double.
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With the league-leading Hemel Storm (4-0) only in Trophy action this weekend, three teams are free to try and take advantage to close the gap at the summit on Saturday.
Third-placed Reading Rockets (3-1) will host the newly promoted Bristol Hurricanes (2-1) at Loddon Valley.
Coming away from a gruelling double header last week, Reading beat Newcastle 95-81 behind 24 points from Justin Hopkins against his former club.
They followed that with a hard-fought 85-78 success over Worthing Thunder with Ty Nsangu a standout, securing a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.
They face a Bristol Hurricanes side boosted by the addition of former Plymouth City Patriots guard Elvisi Dusha, who made an instant impact on his debut, hitting 25 points and dishing out seven assists in their 90-83 win over MK Breakers last Saturday.
It will be a rematch of last season's KitKing Trophy final as Derby Trailblazers (3-1) look to continue their winning streak when they host Bradford Dragons (0-4).
After losing their season opener to City of Birmingham Rockets, the reigning league champions have gone on a three-game winning run, highlighted by a narrow 85-82 overtime win last Sunday to Essex Rebels.
Leighton Elliot-Sewell continued his excellent run of form with 21 points and 18 rebounds to push Derby over the line.
While the Trailblazers are enjoying their start to the season, it is the opposite for Bradford, who have yet to win a game and will be up against it on Saturday.
The third team that will look to close the gap and bounce back is the City of Birmingham Rockets (3-1), as they welcome Essex Rebels (1-3) to the second city.
The Rockets suffered their first loss of the season last weekend against Thames Valley Cavaliers, having won their first three games, including successes over Derby and Reading.
However, Essex will prove to be a tough task. Despite their subpar start, last season's league runners-up will be eager to get going following last weekend's heartbreak against the Trailblazers.
Thames Valley (2-2) will be looking to climb the standings early on Saturday when they make the short trip to the south coast to play Worthing Thunder (0-4).
For TVC, they will look to their deadly trio of AJ Roberts, Justin Robinson, and Ed Lucas to deliver the goods. The latter hit a game-high 22 points in his side's 84-73 win over CoB.
Worthing come into this game still adjusting their squad and looking for the right chemistry under returning head coach Zaire Taylor. They pushed Reading to the limit last Sunday, with Elijah Maynard's 22 points being a big reason.
And the Nottingham Hoods (2-2) will return home after a three-game road trip when they host Newcastle Knights (1-2) at Wildcats Arena.
It's just a quick one-game home stand for the Hoods before three more away games, whereas for Newcastle, they head to the East Midlands, aiming to bounce back from their loss at home to Reading.
7pm - Nottingham Hoods v Newcastle Knights LIVE STATS / TICKETS / LIVE STREAM
7.30pm - Derby Trailblazers v Bradford Dragons LIVE STATS / TICKETS / LIVE STREAM
7.30pm - City of Birmingham Rockets v Essex Rebels LIVE STATS / TICKETS / LIVE STREAM
7.30pm Worthing Thunder v Thames Valley Cavaliers LIVE STATS / TICKETS / LIVE STREAM
7.30pm - Reading Rockets v Bristol Hurricanes LIVE STATS / TICKETS / LIVE STREAM
Sunday 3 November
5pm - MK Breakers v Hemel Storm LIVE STATS / TICKETS / LIVE STREAM
Live stream details will be added as they become available
Main image credit - Matt Cook
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