Western Australia will gets its first taste of NBL action this coming season in round two with the Perth Wildcats to commence their title defence against South East Melbourne Phoenix at RAC Arena.
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The new campaign gets under way on Friday night with the Adelaide 36ers hosting Melbourne United, with the league forced to rejig its round-one fixture three times due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The entire opening round will be played in Queensland and South Australia, while WA is included for round two in details announced on Tuesday.
Victoria and NSW, who have recently battled virus outbreaks, have so far been excluded.
Coming off a first-round bye, the Wildcats, who are gunning for their third successive title, host the Phoenix on January 24.
The New Zealand Breakers, who will also sit out round one, play the 36ers in Adelaide on January 22.
It will be the second of two home games for the Sixers who will also open the round against the Phoenix on January 20.
NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said the league was excited to lock in round two and hoped to soon include Victoria and NSW in the mix.
"We're pleased to be able to announce the next round of our schedule and stage the first home game in Perth for the NBL's reigning champions, the Perth Wildcats," Loeliger said.
"We will continue to assess the situation over the coming weeks and be guided by the advice of the states as we schedule more games as part of our rolling schedule this season.
"As soon as restrictions ease we hope to be in a position to be able to also schedule games in Victoria and New South Wales."
The full schedule of games for round two is:
ROUND 2
* Wednesday, January 20
Adelaide 36ers v South East Melbourne Phoenix, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm AEDT
* Thursday, January 21
Brisbane Bullets v The Hawks, Nissan Arena, 7.30pm AEDT
* Friday, January 22
Adelaide 36ers v New Zealand Breakers, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm AEDT
* Saturday, January 23
Cairns Taipans v Sydney Kings, Cairns Pop-Up Arena, 8pm AEDT
* Sunday, January 24
Perth Wildcats v South East Melbourne Phoenix, RAC Arena 5pm AEDT
* Monday, January 25
Cairns Taipans v Melbourne United, Cairns Pop-Up Arena, 7.30pm AEDT
Australian Associated Press
