Hemel stayed perfect, Worthing picked up a big win in the relegation battle, though the weekend's action played out amongst heart-breaking news from Essex.
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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
Reading make it back-to-back POTW crowns, and consecutive 40+ efficiency outings to boot, as Justin Hopkins dragged the Rockets to a win in Nottingham.
Against a tenacious Hoods side, Reading needed every bit of the American's 40-point output, winning 96-88 after trailing by double digits in the first half.
Not only did Hopkins knock down a ridiculous number of points, he did so with eye-popping efficiency. Hitting 16 of his 18 shots, he went a perfect 3/3 from range and struggled to put a foot wrong across 36:49 of action.
Sometimes Player of the Week picks are close calls, weighing up different stats across categories and comparing fine margins. That wasn't the case here, and Hopkins is a slam dunk pick as the top man from last weekend.
Hemel stayed unbeaten this weekend, but City of Birmingham nearly had them pipped and might have got over the line for a famous win were it not for Matt Ellis.
The Hemel forward was in top form, dropping a game-high 25 points to go with 12 rebounds for a timely double-double, leading his team on the glass as well as the scoresheet.
Another to shoot with a very high efficiency this weekend, Ellis nailed 10/12 FGs (83%) and went 5/7 from the line to punish seven fouls against, the most of any player in the game.
Three Worthing standouts put in quality performances in the win over Loughborough, but Maynard just gets the nod ahead of Zaire Taylor and Jonathan Lashley.
With all three players scoring similarly, it was Maynard's additional value that got him into the five. Eleven rebounds were a team-high and seven ahead of his closest team-mate, with three assists and a pair of steals sweetening the deal even further.
No Thunder player drew more fouls than Maynard's five, and his timely three point shooting (3/6, 50%) was also a bonus.
Manning didn't have the biggest numbers this weekend, but his impact was undeniable in London's 79-73 victory against Bristol.
Once again making a splash off the Cavs' bench, the former Barking man was locked in from range to lead his side in made threes (3/6 3PT, 50%) on his way to 19 points.
Seven of those points came in the fourth quarter as London locked down a valuable win, but Manning's +/- was the most telling factor.
In the six-point win, Manning's +/- of +13 was the highest of any player in the ball game, and one of only two Cavaliers in double digits.
In a close game, every coach wants a player who's making good things happen, and that was Manning's role this weekend.
Ndoukou couldn't help Loughborough to a win on Saturday, but it wasn't for a lack of trying as he put together a stunning 35 efficiency outing.
His 23 points and 17 rebounds were both game-highs, and shooting 53% was another tick against the young forward's performance.
On a day when the likes of Edward Onyia (2/8FG, 5pts), Michael Joiner (2/10FG, 9pts) and Seth Wylie (0/6FG, 0pts) all struggled to hit their stride, Ndoukou picked up the slack and nearly got his side over the line.
A recent uptick in results for Nottingham and Bradford put Worthing Thunder under increased pressure this weekend, and they came through in a big way with a 74-70 victory against Loughborough.
Zaire Taylor (23pts), Jonathan Lashley (21pts) and Elijah Maynard (20pts) all contributed in the win, countering the solid outing from Loughborough's Victor Ndoukou mentioned above.
Given their struggles to date, Worthing could have been forgiven for folding when the Riders pushed ahead by seven in the second quarter. But the South Coast side instead put the brakes on their opponents, regrouped, and got back on level terms before the frame was over.
A 22-12 third then provided the platform for a much-needed victory, seeing the game out down the stretch to quash any potential come back.
The form shown by D1M's bottom sides in 2025 has highlighted just how competitive the league is this season, and why no game can be taken for granted the rest of the way.
Nottingham's two-game win streak may be over, but the Hoods still have plenty to be proud of after their 96-88 loss against Reading.
Leading the league's second placed side by as many as 15 points, Nottingham showed that they have the quality to compete at this level, and were it not for Justin Hopkins Player of the Week heroics then Coach Dragosavac's side could have had an upset.
Landon Taliaferro (24pts, 4reb) and Greg Skoric (19pts, 10reb) both played well in defeat, though Reading do deserve credit for pulling off the come back to keep the pressure on leaders Hemel.
This is a tough stretch for the Hoods, with MK and Storm up next. If they can keep some momentum going through those fixtures though, anything is possible going into next month. March includes games with Newcastle and Bradford, both of which will be huge.
AJ Roberts (LON) - 17P/9R/3A/2S/23EFF
Daniel Edozie (BRI) - 20P/14R/2A/2S/27EFF
Greg Skoric (NOT) - 19P/10R/27EFF
Jonathan Lashley (WOR) - 21P/4R/2A/5S/26EFF
Landon Taliaferro (NOT) - 24P/4R/3A/22EFF
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