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NBL Round 19 has a whopping 11 matches from tonight through to next Tuesday so we're splitting the preview in two once again, today looking at the first six matches, and they're six of the best.

As you might expect at this late point in the season, many have finals implications, with Illawarra (15-14) hosting Melbourne (23-7), Brisbane (13-15) again entertaining Perth (21-8), New Zealand finally literally at home for the first time this season and visited by Sydney (15-15), Illawarra at Adelaide, Cairns out west and Sydney backing up in New Zealand.

And those are just the first six games of this "every night of the week" round.

  ROUND 19 (Part 1)

THEY'RE bigger, they're stronger, they're deeper and they boast more scoring options. Those are all the reasons United, provided all of its players managed to find the airport again, simply has to start favourite to beat the Tyler Harvey-reliant Hawks in Wollongong tonight. Plus Melbourne is coming off a loss and at 23-7, ahead of Perth's 22-8 and with an inferior percentage, really cannot afford a slip on the road. Illawarra, meanwhile, is at home, has had a week to plan and has every reason to feel good about its chance of another upset. 

HAVING qualified for their 35th consecutive playoffs series, the Wildcats head back into Brisbane, where they enjoyed a 41-point final quarter last week in beating a tenacious Bullets team. Maintaining the pressure on Melbourne for first place and its homecourt rewards in the finals ensure there will be no let-up from Trevor Gleeson's men. Can Andrej Lemanis, as he nears the end of his Brisbane tenure, again concoct a game-plan his team can successfully execute to snatch this win from Perth? Stranger things have happened.

NEW Zealand, at home for the first time in Season 2021, in front of fans who have had to watch from afar since tip-off last year, should feel the lift that generates when it hosts Sydney. The Kings roll in off a well-constructed win over Adelaide and with Casper Ware securing a club assists record, Jarell Martin showing his talent and players stepping up in key moments. The Breakers have Finn Delany enjoying a career season and if injured import Levi Randolph gets across the line, the emotion of this game should carry New Zealand home.

ON depth of talent and scoring options alone, Adelaide should start favourite against Illawarra when the Hawks fly into the city of churches. Daniel Johnson, Brandon Paul, Isaac Humphries, Tony Crocker, Jack McVeigh all can consistently fill it up but this game will show the contrast between a team which focuses on offence and one with defence as its most recognisable staple. Josh Giddey's departure means more minutes for Daniel Dillon and possibly Alex Mudronja, and Sunday Dech will have to curtail Tyler Harvey. The Hawks should fly.

CAIRNS last night at home gave Perth far more of a contest than the Wildcats bargained on, yet for all of its pluck and effort, could not get the win. It therefore is next to impossible to see the Taipans managing to find the formula for success against the Wildcats in only a few days. And then to execute it to perfection at The Jungle in Perth. This time around, the going should be easier for the home team sooner, possibly giving the Red Army more of an extended look at those players waiting in the wings.

NEW Zealand hosts Sydney again within 48 hours of the first clash, some of the emotion from the Breakers' return home now starting to subside. They still should start favourites but this time around, Kings fans should check the odds because an upset in the rematch often is on the cards. This is a very tough one to call this far out from the game, especially without the information their first clash may have revealed. But the old adage - if in doubt, go for the home team - certainly applies this time around. Just don't be surprised if it's wrong.

Part 2 Previews of Round 19 on Saturday.

Safest Bet of the Round: Matt Hodgson will query at least one of his fouls.