# 1987 NBL season

The 1987 NBL season was the ninth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league. Three of the Melbourne-based clubs rebranded themselves in the off season, with the Nundawading Spectres renaming themselves to Eastside Spectres, Coburg Giants became North Melbourne Giants and the St. Kilda Saints became Westside Saints.

## Clubs

The NBL had 14 clubs spread across all Australian states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory.
| Club | Location | Home Venue | Capacity | Founded | Head coach |
| Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide, South Australia | Apollo Stadium | 3,000 | 1982 | Gary Fox |
| Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane, Queensland | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 13,500 | 1979 | Brian Kerle |
| Canberra Cannons | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | AIS Arena | 5,200 | 1979 | Jerry Lee |
| Eastside Spectres | Melbourne, Victoria | Burwood Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Barry Barnes |
| Geelong Cats | Geelong, Victoria | Geelong Arena | 2,000 | 1982 | Ken Richardson |
| Hobart Tassie Devils | Hobart, Tasmania | Kingborough Sports Centre | 1,800 | 1983 | David Adkins |
| Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong, New South Wales | Illawarra Basketball Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Dave Lindstrom |
| Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne, Victoria | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | 2,000 | 1931 | Lindsay Gaze |
| Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle, New South Wales | Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium | 2,200 | 1979 | Steve Johansen |
| North Melbourne Giants | Melbourne, Victoria | The Glass House | 7,200 | 1980 | Bruce Palmer |
| Perth Wildcats | Perth, Western Australia | Perth Superdome | 4,500 | 1982 | Cal Bruton |
| Sydney Supersonics | Sydney, New South Wales | State Sports Centre | 5,006 | 1982 | Ken Cole |
| Westside Saints | Melbourne, Victoria | Keilor Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Andris Blicavs |
| West Sydney Westars | Sydney, New South Wales | State Sports Centre | 5,006 | 1982 | Mike Osbourne |

## Regular season

The 1987 regular season took place over 22 rounds between 24 April 1987 and 20 September 1987.

### Round 1

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 24/04/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 131–105 | Westside Saints | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/04/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 123–111 | Melbourne Tigers | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/04/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 83–97 | Brisbane Bullets | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/04/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 96–117 | Eastside Spectres | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/04/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 116–110 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/04/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 133–111 | Westside Saints | Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/04/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 122–101 | Melbourne Tigers | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/04/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 76–98 | Eastside Spectres | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/04/1987 | Geelong Cats | 129–118 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 2

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 1/05/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 103–106 | North Melbourne Giants | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/05/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 104–124 | West Sydney Westars | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/05/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 104–87 | Geelong Cats | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/05/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 134–111 | North Melbourne Giants | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/05/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 78–81 | Illawarra Hawks | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/05/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 107–104 | West Sydney Westars | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/05/1987 | Westside Saints | 125–87 | Geelong Cats | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/05/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 87–118 | Brisbane Bullets | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/05/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 118–123 | Brisbane Bullets | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 3

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 8/05/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 116–105 | Hobart Tassie Devils | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/05/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 120–122 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/05/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 97–101 | Adelaide 36ers | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/05/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 106–111 | Illawarra Hawks | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/05/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 101–104 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/05/1987 | Geelong Cats | 105–107 | Canberra Cannons | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/05/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 98–95 | Westside Saints | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/05/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 127–107 | Westside Saints | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 4

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 15/05/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 96–88 | Sydney Supersonics | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/05/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 80–86 | Brisbane Bullets | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/05/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 113–111 | Sydney Supersonics | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/05/1987 | Geelong Cats | 94–89 | North Melbourne Giants | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/05/1987 | Westside Saints | 83–121 | Brisbane Bullets | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/05/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 93–112 | West Sydney Westars | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/05/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 104–106 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/05/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 119–101 | West Sydney Westars | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 5

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 22/05/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 92–68 | Geelong Cats | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/05/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 108–116 | North Melbourne Giants | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/05/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 113–97 | Melbourne Tigers | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/05/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 98–91 | Geelong Cats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/05/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 105–98 | North Melbourne Giants | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/05/1987 | Westside Saints | 111–107 | Melbourne Tigers | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 6

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 29/05/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 92–82 | Brisbane Bullets | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/05/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 117–100 | Newcastle Falcons | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/05/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 81–86 | Sydney Supersonics | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/05/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 81–77 | North Melbourne Giants | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/05/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 127–111 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/05/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 106–100 | Newcastle Falcons | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/05/1987 | Westside Saints | 105–127 | North Melbourne Giants | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/05/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 88–91 | Geelong Cats | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 31/05/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 114–101 | Geelong Cats | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 7

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 5/06/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 83–91 | Hobart Tassie Devils | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/06/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 92–78 | Sydney Supersonics | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/06/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 148–122 | Newcastle Falcons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/06/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 92–83 | Eastside Spectres | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/06/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 135–107 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/06/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 151–116 | Newcastle Falcons | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/06/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 103–94 | Eastside Spectres | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/06/1987 | Westside Saints | 82–106 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/06/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 91–114 | Geelong Cats | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 8

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 12/06/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 112–119 | Perth Wildcats | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/06/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 82–133 | Illawarra Hawks | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/06/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 120–128 | Adelaide 36ers | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/06/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 86–93 | Canberra Cannons | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/06/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 96–95 | Perth Wildcats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/06/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 104–90 | Illawarra Hawks | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/06/1987 | Geelong Cats | 101–126 | Adelaide 36ers | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/06/1987 | Westside Saints | 113–114 | Canberra Cannons | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/06/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 128–110 | Melbourne Tigers | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 9

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 19/06/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 91–79 | Brisbane Bullets | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/06/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 137–101 | West Sydney Westars | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/06/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 109–91 | Newcastle Falcons | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/06/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 123–93 | Eastside Spectres | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/06/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 98–87 | Eastside Spectres | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/06/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 81–72 | Brisbane Bullets | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/06/1987 | Geelong Cats | 77–83 | West Sydney Westars | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/06/1987 | Westside Saints | 117–116 | Newcastle Falcons | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 10

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 25/06/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 108–90 | Adelaide 36ers | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/06/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 100–85 | Newcastle Falcons | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/06/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 146–118 | Perth Wildcats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/06/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 115–118 | Adelaide 36ers | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/06/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 140–117 | Newcastle Falcons | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/06/1987 | Geelong Cats | 110–103 | Perth Wildcats | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/06/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 95–91 | Sydney Supersonics | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/06/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 104–121 | Sydney Supersonics | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 11

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 3/07/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 111–100 | Illawarra Hawks | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/07/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 97–87 | Eastside Spectres | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/07/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 117–142 | Canberra Cannons | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/07/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 102–92 | Westside Saints | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/07/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 112–95 | Illawarra Hawks | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/07/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 73–77 | Eastside Spectres | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/07/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 124–128 | Canberra Cannons | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/07/1987 | Geelong Cats | 132–106 | Melbourne Tigers | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 12

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 10/07/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 138–104 | Sydney Supersonics | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/07/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 85–82 | West Sydney Westars | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/07/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 108–85 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/07/1987 | Geelong Cats | 102–98 | Sydney Supersonics | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/07/1987 | Westside Saints | 87–90 | West Sydney Westars | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/07/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 127–137 | Newcastle Falcons | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/07/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 125–118 | Newcastle Falcons | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 13

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 17/07/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 147–99 | West Sydney Westars | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/07/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 118–101 | Westside Saints | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/07/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 137–140 | Newcastle Falcons | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/07/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 109–108 | Brisbane Bullets | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/07/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 118–109 | West Sydney Westars | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/07/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 118–98 | Westside Saints | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/07/1987 | Geelong Cats | 101–91 | Brisbane Bullets | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/07/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 87–90 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/07/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 83–110 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 14

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 23/07/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 130–116 | Westside Saints | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/07/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 103–101 | Canberra Cannons | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/07/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 103–96 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/07/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 123–116 | Canberra Cannons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/07/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 99–116 | Geelong Cats | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/07/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 89–93 | Illawarra Hawks | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/07/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 98–101 | Illawarra Hawks | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 15

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 31/07/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 118–103 | Melbourne Tigers | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 31/07/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 111–95 | West Sydney Westars | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 31/07/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 102–104 | Brisbane Bullets | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 31/07/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 123–99 | Geelong Cats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 31/07/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 97–117 | Eastside Spectres | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/08/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 133–108 | Melbourne Tigers | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/08/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 99–92 | West Sydney Westars | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/08/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 112–121 | Brisbane Bullets | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/08/1987 | Westside Saints | 105–123 | Eastside Spectres | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 16

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 7/08/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 109–105 | Geelong Cats | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/08/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 102–141 | North Melbourne Giants | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/08/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 95–97 | Perth Wildcats | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/08/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 96–94 | Geelong Cats | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/08/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 105–103 | North Melbourne Giants | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/08/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 119–125 | Sydney Supersonics | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/08/1987 | Westside Saints | 106–123 | Perth Wildcats | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/08/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 94–115 | Adelaide 36ers | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/08/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 99–122 | Adelaide 36ers | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 17

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 14/08/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 106–102 | Perth Wildcats | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/08/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 109–86 | Melbourne Tigers | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/08/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 108–126 | Adelaide 36ers | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/08/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 91–126 | Perth Wildcats | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/08/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 113–62 | Melbourne Tigers | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/08/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 103–108 | Adelaide 36ers | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/08/1987 | Geelong Cats | 98–77 | Westside Saints | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 18

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 21/08/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 99–108 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/08/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 105–110 | Westside Saints | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/08/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 115–81 | Melbourne Tigers | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/08/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 94–95 | Eastside Spectres | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/08/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 103–87 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/08/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 113–98 | Westside Saints | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/08/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 129–76 | Melbourne Tigers | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/08/1987 | Geelong Cats | 101–91 | Eastside Spectres | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/08/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 109–95 | Canberra Cannons | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 19

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 28/08/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 110–107 | Canberra Cannons | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/08/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 109–121 | Perth Wildcats | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/08/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 115–111 | Illawarra Hawks | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/08/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 100–93 | Adelaide 36ers | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/08/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 112–94 | Canberra Cannons | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/08/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 131–112 | Perth Wildcats | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/08/1987 | Geelong Cats | 113–109 | Illawarra Hawks | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/08/1987 | Westside Saints | 101–104 | Adelaide 36ers | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/08/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 70–130 | Eastside Spectres | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 20

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 4/09/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 118–114 | North Melbourne Giants | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/09/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 132–106 | Sydney Supersonics | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/09/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 93–89 | North Melbourne Giants | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/09/1987 | West Sydney Westars | 96–120 | Adelaide 36ers | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/09/1987 | Westside Saints | 109–122 | Sydney Supersonics | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/09/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 87–114 | Perth Wildcats | Kilsyth Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/09/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 97–94 | Adelaide 36ers | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/09/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 119–153 | Perth Wildcats | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 21

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 11/09/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 118–104 | Sydney Supersonics | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/09/1987 | North Melbourne Giants | 164–130 | Newcastle Falcons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/09/1987 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 86–100 | Illawarra Hawks | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/09/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 144–99 | Sydney Supersonics | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/09/1987 | Geelong Cats | 126–123 | Newcastle Falcons | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/09/1987 | Westside Saints | 95–98 | Illawarra Hawks | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/09/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 114–136 | Canberra Cannons | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/09/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 122–105 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 22

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 18/09/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 128–97 | Geelong Cats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/09/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 124–109 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/09/1987 | Sydney Supersonics | 118–98 | Westside Saints | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/09/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 119–105 | Geelong Cats | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/09/1987 | Canberra Cannons | 124–95 | Hobart Tassie Devils | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/09/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 126–118 | West Sydney Westars | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/09/1987 | Newcastle Falcons | 151–126 | Westside Saints | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/09/1987 | Melbourne Tigers | 114–112 | North Melbourne Giants | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/09/1987 | Eastside Spectres | 96–130 | North Melbourne Giants | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

## Ladder

| Pos | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte | 1987 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 26 | 21 | 5 | 80.77% | 4–1 | W2 | 11–2 | 10–3 | 3046 | 2677 | 113.78% |
| 2 | Brisbane Bullets$^1$ | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76.92% | 5–0 | W9 | 13–0 | 7–6 | 2711 | 2497 | 108.57% |
| 3 | Illawarra Hawks$^1$ | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76.92% | 4–1 | W4 | 13–0 | 7–6 | 2680 | 2528 | 106.01% |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 26 | 19 | 7 | 73.08% | 4–1 | W4 | 11–2 | 8–5 | 3005 | 2756 | 109.03% |
| 5 | Canberra Cannons | 26 | 17 | 9 | 65.38% | 3–2 | W1 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 2848 | 2770 | 102.82% |
| 6 | North Melbourne Giants | 26 | 15 | 11 | 57.69% | 2–3 | W1 | 10–3 | 5–8 | 3060 | 2807 | 109.01% |
| 7 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 26 | 14 | 12 | 53.85% | 2–3 | L3 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 2599 | 2568 | 101.21% |
| 8 | Eastside Spectres$^2$ | 26 | 13 | 13 | 50.00% | 2–3 | L1 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 2607 | 2596 | 100.42% |
| 9 | Geelong Cats$^2$ | 26 | 13 | 13 | 50.00% | 3–2 | L2 | 10–3 | 3–10 | 2644 | 2707 | 97.67% |
| 10 | Sydney Supersonics | 26 | 9 | 17 | 34.62% | 2–3 | W1 | 5–8 | 4–9 | 2744 | 2861 | 95.91% |
| 11 | West Sydney Westars | 26 | 8 | 18 | 30.77% | 2–3 | L2 | 4–9 | 4–9 | 2564 | 2695 | 95.14% |
| 12 | Newcastle Falcons | 26 | 6 | 20 | 23.08% | 3–2 | W1 | 4–9 | 2–11 | 2948 | 3176 | 92.82% |
| 13 | Westside Saints | 26 | 4 | 22 | 15.38% | 0–5 | L6 | 3–10 | 1–12 | 2673 | 2980 | 89.70% |
| 14 | Melbourne Tigers | 26 | 3 | 23 | 11.54% | 1–4 | W1 | 3–10 | 0–13 | 2635 | 3146 | 83.76% |
Updated to match(es) played on 20 September 1987. Source: NBL.com.au
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
$^1$Head-to-Head between Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks (1-1). Brisbane Bullets won For and Against (+11).
$^2$Head-to-Head between Eastside Spectres and Geelong Cats (1-1). Eastside Spectres won For and Against (+7).

## Finals
### Playoff bracket

| Elimination Finals | Elimination Finals | Elimination Finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| | | | 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 99 | 99 | 93 | | | | | |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 101 | 4 | Perth Wildcats | 98 | 101 | 103 | | | | | |
| 5 | Canberra Cannons | 96 | | | | | | 2 | Brisbane Bullets | 80 | 106 | X |
| | | | | | | | | 4 | Perth Wildcats | 79 | 87 | X |
| | | | 2 | Brisbane Bullets | 109 | 77 | 100 | | | | | |
| 3 | Illawarra Hawks | 105 | 3 | Illawarra Hawks | 87 | 78 | 82 | | | | | |
| 6 | North Melbourne Giants | 97 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Elimination Finals

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 26/09/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 105–97 | North Melbourne Giants | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/09/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 101–96 | Canberra Cannons | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Semifinals

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 30/09/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 98–99 | Adelaide 36ers | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/09/1987 | Illawarra Hawks | 87–109 | Brisbane Bullets | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/10/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 99–101 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/10/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 77–78 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/10/1987 | Adelaide 36ers | 93–103 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/10/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 100–82 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Grand Final

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 10/10/1987 | Perth Wildcats | 79–80 | Brisbane Bullets | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/10/1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 106–87 | Perth Wildcats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

## 1987 NBL statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Paul Stanley | Hobart Tassie Devils | 920 pts |
| Rebounds per game | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers | 17.1 |
| Assists per game | Gordie McLeod | Illawarra Hawks | 8.5 |
| Steals per game | Steve Carfino | Hobart Tassie Devils | 88 stls |
| Blocks per game | Willie Simmons | North Melbourne Giants | 114 blks |
| Field goal percentage | James Crawford | Perth Wildcats | 62.6% |
| Three-point percentage | Alan Black | Perth Wildcats | 53.8% |
| Free throw percentage | Scott Fenton | Sydney Supersonics | 92.5% |

## NBL awards

* Most Valuable Player: Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers & Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
* Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
* Rookie of the Year: Greg Hubbard, Illawarra Hawks
* Coach of the Year: David Lindstrom, Illawarra Hawks

## All NBL Team

| # | Player | Team |
| PG | Steve Carfino | Hobart Tassie Devils |
| SG | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers |
| SF | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets |
| PF | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers |
| C | James Crawford | Perth Wildcats |