Three rounds done and dusted, and finally we have some separation on the ladder with Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats sharing the penthouse apartment on 4-1 ahead of Brisbane Bullets, Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United duking for the remaining spots in the top four.
Illawarra Hawks, New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans are glued to the bottom of the ladder, with the Breakers and Hawks having now lost a combined seven games on the trot after each won their opening fixtures. They'll each be buoyed knowing it's still very early in the season but this is shaping as an incredibly tough NBL season and consecutive wins is no easy feat.
What stood out during Round 3, and who put forth their best performance?
Pick Pockets
Sydney led Illawarra by eight points at halftime; then the third quarter got underway. The Kings set an NBL record with 11 steals in the quarter and blew the game wide open; behind that defensive onslaught the lead went from eight points to 27 and the game was over.
Kevin Lisch was the main man for Sydney, finishing the game with a career-best six steals. Sydney sit atop the NBL standings and still have Julian Khazzouh and new signing Steve Blake to join the roster.
Where'd He Come From?
Corey Webster set off on the fast break, two Brisbane Bullets players were in front of him and he thought he had them covered. What he didn't account for was Torrey Craig doing his best LeBron James impersonation and rising up from behind to block his layup attempt. The block was consumed by Craig, who then turned and heaved the ball forward to an open Cameron Bairstow to finish off the play. It was the exclamation mark on a much needed Bullets victory.
MVP Watch
Jerome Randle and Casey Prather are the early front runners. They've led their teams with stellar play and look unstoppable when they're on their game; as was evident during Round 3.
Randle is the quickest and craftiest guard in the league while Prather uses incredible athleticism to glide over the court. Randle is averaging 23.8 points per game with five assists; Prather has averages of 20.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Winning Away
Perth have built a fortress at home; they never lose inside of their own stadium. Travelling has always been their biggest opponent, and this season they've played two games on the road.
They opened in Brisbane, where they went down by seven points, but then on Sunday they defeated Melbourne away by three points and emphatically proved a point that they will take on any challengers anywhere, not just at home.
Burst Bubbles
Chris Goulding hasn't had his best start to an NBL season, but his worth to Melbourne United cannot be understated. Goulding had 13 points in 22 minutes against Brisbane, then the worst happened.
Goulding stepped on the foot of a Brisbane player and turned an ankle. United would go on to win the game, holding off a late Brisbane rally. But then against Perth they weren't so lucky, falling to the reigning champs. How long can United last without their star guard?
