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We'll pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out the Team of the Week, paying attention to the following criteria:
Other players will also receive a shout out as honourable mentions at the bottom of the piece.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Continuing his recent rich vein of form, Hemel's Ellis is the latest D1M Player of the Week.
Averaging over 26.3PPG across Hemel's last three games, the Canadian's most recent outing included a stunning 31 points, 12 more than the next closest player on either team.
Adding 10 boards to his side's tally allowed the hosts to win the battle on the glass 47-38, and four assists were also a bonus.
The key to Ellis' impressive numbers was his shooting efficiency, hitting on 73% of his shots, including his only triple attempt. With just a single turnover in 30:14 of action, and still maintaining that level of production, the Hemel man is a worthy winner for this week.
Unlucky not to have been stood on the top step this week, Joiner must instead settle for the second place in this week's five for his efforts in Loughborough's 85-73 victory over Worthing.
Despite Worthing's current struggles, the South Coast side still led this one early in the fourth before the hosts wrestled back the initiative. Fighting off a late comeback, Joiner dropped nine of his 32 points in the final five minutes of regulation, and alongside his 12 rebounds, it was a worthy double-double for the American.
The swingman also showed his versatility from range to knock down 3/5 attempts from beyond the arc, whilst his three steals were also a team-high on the defensive end.
Thames Valley's road win in Bristol was one of the performances of the weekend, and with AJ Roberts the star of the show, it's no surprise to see him in the TOTW.
Mixing well with Aiden Saunders off the TVC bench, Roberts enjoyed a team-high 20 points on 83% shooting from two-point range, which was the highest in the game for any player with two or more shots.
Going 1/6 from range was the former Hemel man's only blip, but Roberts did plenty more elsewhere with 12 boards and four assists to more than make up for it in the 84-75 win.
Milton Keynes' four-game losing streak is over after they came through a tough test at home to Derby with a 75-67 win.
MK's standout was Adrian Scarborough as the American forward produced a valuable 19-point, 13-rebound double-double to get the Breakers over the line and back into the win column.
Scarborough shot a remarkable 81% from the field (9/11 FG), exclusively working inside the paint and only getting to the line three times in 30:56 of action.
At a time when the former D2 South winners needed a change in fortunes, Scarborough stood up to be counted and deserves a spot in this week's five.
Playing against strugglers Nottingham Hoods, no Reading player topped 29 minutes of court time, making Clarke's level of production this weekend all the more impressive.
His 24 points came on 72% shooting, and six assists allowed his team mates to get in the scoring action as well, while 29 efficiency was a solid return from just 23:40 action, with the Rockets eventually strolling to a 95-65 success.
With the mid-season break nearly here and a small gap opening up between the playoff places in eighth and the best of the rest in ninth, it's a good time to take a look at how the teams currently outside the playoff picture are stacking up.
Milton Keynes (3-4) and Newcastle (3-6) will both be looking at the road ahead rather than into the rear view mirror. Both have quality on their roster to compete, and in the likes of Scarborough, KJ Johnson (MK), Ronald Blain and Hafeez Abdul (Newcastle), both teams have players capable of putting their sides into the playoff hunt.
Worthing Thunder (2-7) and Nottingham Hoods (2-7) are both scrapping to avoid 12th, one of the potential relegation places, on four points. Thunder have managed to win two of their last five after a slow start, but Nottingham have lost six in a row, including last weekend's 30-point loss against Reading. The games between those sides, and against the Dragons, could be key to their fate in the second half of the season.
Bradford (0-8) remain winless, but six of their losses have been by 10 points or fewer. Two of them have been by three points or fewer. The Dragons also beat Nottingham on the road in the Round of 16 of the NBL National Cup last Sunday, and all those factors should provide the Yorkshire club with some optimism heading in 2025.
Coach Beddow-Patel was eager to point out last week that whilst MK's league form may have stalled recently, the team were making gains on other fronts. KitKing Trophy finalists and quarter-finalists in the NBL National Cup, the Breakers' D1M form began to play catch up on Saturday with a 75-67 W against Derby.
Scarborough's output is documented above, with KJ Johnson, MK's other American, chipping in another 19 points and eight assists in the win.
Nate Robinson (14pts) and Chris Tawiah (12pts) were the only other Breakers into double-digits in a low scoring grinder, but the team effort was enough to fend off Leighton Elliott-Sewell's 24-point, eight-rebound, six-steal outing for DTB.
Elliott-Sewell and Chris Harris (10pts) were the only Trailblazers to make it to double digit scoring, a clear off day for a team dropping 87.4PPG. The reigning regular season champs have now lost two games in a row and the mid-season break probably comes at a good time for coach Henderson as he tries to get his roster healthy and firing on all cylinders.
Derby have got to get to that break first though, with a home tilt against Reading on the cards for next weekend before they can head into 2025.
Leighton Elliott-Sewell (DTB) - 24P/8R/3A/6S/31EFF
Daniel Edozie (BRI) - 23P/16R/2A/30EFF
Aiden Saunders (TVC) - 16P/13R/2A/25EFF
Victor Olarerin (REA) - 18P/6R/6A/24EFF
Joe Hart (ESS) - 14P/2R/7A/2S/21EFF
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Main image credit - Nicola C Creative
