Reading ended Hemel's hopes of a perfect season, with Bradford, City of Birmingham and others all picking up valuable wins. Overall it was an impressive weekend, with seven players putting up a 26 efficiency or better performance that still couldn't find a spot in this week's five.
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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
It was a weekend to remember for Williams as he brought his A-game in Bradford's 95-83 victory against Worthing.
The relegation scrap was one of the biggest of the weekend and Williams took the opportunity to ball out for his side. Dropping a D1M-high 38 points, the Dragons' standout also splashed 6/9 from beyond the arc as part of a 14/19 FG (73%) shooting performance.
Seven rebounds helped the hosts edge the battle on the glass 43-40, and apart from fouling out with 34 seconds to go, it was hard to find fault with anything Williams did on Saturday evening.
Reading toppled leaders Hemel Storm on their own patch, winning 105-93 behind a strong outing from guard Olarerin.
In a tough call between the former Thames Valley Cavalier and team-mate Justin Hopkins, Olarerin just got the nod for producing his haul in just 30:17, nearly seven minutes less than the American.
His 32 points were a game-high and he did it in efficient fashion, nailing 12/18 FG (66%) from the floor. Hitting four of his six attempts from beyond the arc provided the visitors with valuable momentum, including adding 14 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Six rebounds were a bonus, as were two assists, and it all combined for a great outing for the Reading man.
Few players can offer up a more combined performance from the past weekend than Blain's effort against City of Birmingham Rockets.
The Knights came up a whisker short, going down 106-105 after a period of OT, but the American had himself a day at both ends of the court despite the result.
19 points came on 53% shooting, helping Newcastle to hit 49% of their shots for the contest. Six rebounds were a joint team-high, and eight assists also brought others into the play when needed.
Add in a whopping eight steals and he was getting towards quadruple-double territory!
A lower volume outing came on Sunday in the victory over Worthing, but it was still a nice sweetener to add on top of Saturday's efforts and earn a well-deserved spot in the five for this week.
Jordan Spencer is back in the NBL and he's quickly back to doing Jordan Spencer things.
Finishing a single rebound away from a triple-double in the 90-82 victory away to Loughborough, the MK captain hasn't missed a beat and remains very much the same player that claimed NBL National Cup MVP honours in the not too distant past.
As the Riders probed for a way back into the game in the fourth quarter, they pulled their deficit back to ten points with 8:39 to go, setting themselves up to make a late push.
Spencer then assisted on four straight Nate Robinson buckets, including a pair of triples, to push the difference between the sides back up to 18 points at 81-63.
It was a timely intervention from the MK man, and helped them to a fifth win in a row in the process.
With the high-scoring contest in the North East also providing an extra five minutes of OT to stuff the stat sheet, it is no surprise to see a second selection from that game.
CoB's Jackman gets the nod, with the Team England man nearing a double-double with 22 points and nine boards.
No starter shot the ball as efficiently as Jackman (7/10FG, 70%), and he made Newcastle pay for a team-high eight fouls against with a near-perfect 6/7 from the free throw line.
Martyn Gayle undoubtedly hit the big baskets, including triples at the end of regulation and to win the game in OT, but Jackman's consistent all-round game gets the spotlight here.
In their first season in D1M, plenty was expected of Milton Keynes given their rapid rise through the NBL pyramid and success in the 2023/24 National Cup.
Their progress across the regular season has been solid, if not spectacular, but a pair of moves before last month's transfer deadline have set the Breakers up to take a swing for the fences the rest of the way.
Jordan Spencer is a proven commodity, and his departure from the SLB and return to the NBL is as much a win for NBL fans as the Breakers themselves.
The addition of Romario Spence therefor received less fanfare, but the British forward comes with a wealth of experience, including stints in France, the BBL, and being part of the 2022/23 Hemel Storm team that went a perfect 41-0 to capture all four titles.
Both additions have helped coach Beddow-Patel's side to win five in a row, and into a tie for the top four. Whilst the title remains out of reach given Hemel's exploits, few teams will want to meet the Breakers once the post-season begins.
Few teams have been able to go toe-to-toe with Hemel this season, but Reading have had their number twice in a row after Saturday's 105-93 success.
Winning the neutral site game in Manchester to claim January's Cup Final could have been seen by some as a one off, but going to Hemel and winning on their court deserves respect
As the first team to do that in D1M play since a Zion Tordoff-inspired Bradford won 99-81 at the StormDome on 24 February 2024, almost exactly a year ago, the Rockets deserve their flowers for this one.
Olarerin was impressive, and Justin Hopkins has now clocked up 60 points across the last two meetings between the sides. Mitch Clarke (16pts, 7ast) and Zain Poorman (9pts, 6ast) both did their bit to steer the Reading offence, providing the bulk of the team's 18 assists.
Hemel are still on course for a regular season title, but fans will be itching for a chance to see the pair clash for a third and final time at some point in the playoffs.
Sam Newman (HEM) - 22P/5R/14A/2S/32EFF
Bode Adeluola (WOR) - 25P/4R/8A/2S/30EFF
Matt Ellis (HEM) - 30P/9R/29EFF
Justin Hopkins (REA) - 30P/9R/27EFF
Adrian Scarborough (MKB) - 25P/12R/2B/30EFF
Logan Rooney (NEW) - 26P/6R/3A/2S/31EFF vs CoB
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Main image credit - Luke Simcock
