# 1988 NBL season

The 1988 NBL season was the tenth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 13 teams contested the league.

## Clubs

Following the merger of the Sydney Supersonics and West Sydney Westars to form the Sydney Kings, the NBL had 13 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 | Brian Goorjian |
| Geelong Supercats | Geelong, Victoria | Geelong Arena | 2,000 | 1982 | Pete Mathieson |
| Hobart Tassie Devils | Hobart, Tasmania | Kingborough Sports Centre | 1,800 | 1983 | |
| Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong, New South Wales | Illawarra Basketball Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Dave Lindstrom |
| Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne, Victoria | The Glass House | 7,200 | 1931 | Lindsay Gaze |
| Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle, New South Wales | Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium | 2,200 | 1979 | Ken Cole |
| 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 Kings | Sydney, New South Wales | State Sports Centre | 5,006 | 1988 | Claude Williams |
| Westside Saints | Melbourne, Victoria | Keilor Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Andris Blicavs |

## Regular season

The 1988 regular season took place over 21 rounds between 12 February 1988 and 9 July 1988.

### Round 1

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 12/02/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 97–98 | North Melbourne Giants | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/02/1988 | Sydney Kings | 110–106 | Geelong Supercats | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/02/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 98–94 | Melbourne Tigers | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/02/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 101–98 | Adelaide 36ers | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/02/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 120–109 | North Melbourne Giants | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/02/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 127–107 | Eastside Spectres | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/02/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 149–85 | Geelong Supercats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/02/1988 | Westside Saints | 106–102 | Melbourne Tigers | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 2

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 19/02/1988 | Sydney Kings | 103–95 | Illawarra Hawks | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/02/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 99–97 | Eastside Spectres | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/02/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 118–148 | Adelaide 36ers | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/02/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 91–79 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/02/1988 | Westside Saints | 118–129 | Perth Wildcats | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/02/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 117–144 | North Melbourne Giants | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/02/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 96–118 | Perth Wildcats | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 3

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 26/02/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 109–98 | Sydney Kings | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/02/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 102–95 | Canberra Cannons | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/02/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 131–121 | Newcastle Falcons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/02/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 104–100 | Sydney Kings | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/02/1988 | Westside Saints | 116–93 | Brisbane Bullets | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/02/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 105–113 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/02/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 114–135 | Newcastle Falcons | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/02/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 97–91 | Brisbane Bullets | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 4

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 4/03/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 100–98 | Westside Saints | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/03/1988 | Sydney Kings | 98–94 | Eastside Spectres | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/03/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 121–96 | Perth Wildcats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/03/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 146–123 | Canberra Cannons | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/03/1988 | Westside Saints | 104–88 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/03/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 97–125 | Perth Wildcats | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/03/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 84–97 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 5

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 11/03/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 118–85 | Eastside Spectres | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/03/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 147–85 | Geelong Supercats | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/03/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 77–82 | Brisbane Bullets | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/03/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 109–92 | Eastside Spectres | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/03/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 110–84 | Geelong Supercats | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/03/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 118–127 | Sydney Kings | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/03/1988 | Westside Saints | 98–114 | North Melbourne Giants | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/03/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 119–121 | North Melbourne Giants | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 6

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 18/03/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 97–89 | Illawarra Hawks | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/03/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 108–100 | Westside Saints | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/03/1988 | Sydney Kings | 95–111 | Melbourne Tigers | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/03/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 132–137 | Brisbane Bullets | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/03/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 112–81 | Illawarra Hawks | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/03/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 130–117 | Melbourne Tigers | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/03/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 111–96 | Westside Saints | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/03/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 91–99 | Brisbane Bullets | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 7

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 24/03/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 122–99 | Geelong Supercats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/03/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 119–117 | Perth Wildcats | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/03/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 107–85 | Geelong Supercats | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/03/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 141–106 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/03/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 116–125 | Canberra Cannons | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/03/1988 | Sydney Kings | 120–105 | Newcastle Falcons | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/03/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 101–91 | Perth Wildcats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/03/1988 | Westside Saints | 111–128 | Adelaide 36ers | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/03/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 109–106 | Adelaide 36ers | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 8

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 8/04/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 134–131 | North Melbourne Giants | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/04/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 131–100 | Sydney Kings | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/04/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 124–107 | Newcastle Falcons | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/04/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 94–80 | Westside Saints | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/04/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 103–114 | North Melbourne Giants | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/04/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 82–88 | Brisbane Bullets | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/04/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 84–105 | Illawarra Hawks | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 9

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 15/04/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 110–85 | Canberra Cannons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/04/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 111–100 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/04/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 127–128 | Eastside Spectres | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/04/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 136–130 | Canberra Cannons | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/04/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 106–131 | Illawarra Hawks | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/04/1988 | Sydney Kings | 103–97 | Hobart Tassie Devils | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/04/1988 | Westside Saints | 115–95 | Eastside Spectres | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/04/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 100–125 | Melbourne Tigers | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 11

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 29/04/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 113–125 | Brisbane Bullets | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/04/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 116–79 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/04/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 108–97 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/04/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 120–102 | Hobart Tassie Devils | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/04/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 138–118 | Westside Saints | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/04/1988 | Sydney Kings | 124–125 | North Melbourne Giants | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/04/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 77–121 | Eastside Spectres | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/05/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 89–99 | Eastside Spectres | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 12

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 6/05/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 141–130 | North Melbourne Giants | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 6/05/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 80–94 | Adelaide 36ers | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/05/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 84–88 | Illawarra Hawks | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/05/1988 | Sydney Kings | 98–112 | Adelaide 36ers | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/05/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 114–128 | North Melbourne Giants | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/05/1988 | Westside Saints | 130–93 | Geelong Supercats | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/05/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 112–101 | Perth Wildcats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/05/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 114–110 | Geelong Supercats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 13

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 13/05/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 122–101 | Newcastle Falcons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/05/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 114–98 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/05/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 114–121 | Newcastle Falcons | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/05/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 102–100 | Sydney Kings | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/05/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 112–105 | Eastside Spectres | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/05/1988 | Westside Saints | 118–125 | Canberra Cannons | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/05/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 89–91 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/05/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 114–117 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 14

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 20/05/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 133–103 | Melbourne Tigers | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/05/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 97–99 | Brisbane Bullets | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/05/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 121–106 | Sydney Kings | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/05/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 103–110 | Newcastle Falcons | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/05/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 115–101 | Melbourne Tigers | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/05/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 97–113 | Brisbane Bullets | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/05/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 95–97 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 21/05/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 92–106 | Sydney Kings | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 15

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 27/05/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 135–113 | Westside Saints | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/05/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 105–107 | Eastside Spectres | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/05/1988 | Sydney Kings | 93–125 | Brisbane Bullets | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/05/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 100–102 | North Melbourne Giants | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/05/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 105–120 | Westside Saints | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/05/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 93–82 | Eastside Spectres | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/05/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 151–106 | Geelong Supercats | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 28/05/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 112–108 | Melbourne Tigers | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 16

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 3/06/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 89–90 | Adelaide 36ers | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/06/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 95–87 | Perth Wildcats | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/06/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 113–112 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/06/1988 | Sydney Kings | 106–88 | Perth Wildcats | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/06/1988 | Westside Saints | 108–122 | Illawarra Hawks | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/06/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 107–100 | Adelaide 36ers | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/06/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 88–107 | Canberra Cannons | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/06/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 110–107 | Illawarra Hawks | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 17

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 10/06/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 145–113 | Geelong Supercats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/06/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 110–95 | Newcastle Falcons | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/06/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 117–99 | Sydney Kings | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/06/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 125–109 | Illawarra Hawks | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/06/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 139–75 | Geelong Supercats | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/06/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 116–101 | Newcastle Falcons | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/06/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 101–92 | Sydney Kings | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/06/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 96–99 | Westside Saints | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 18

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 17/06/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 100–117 | Perth Wildcats | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/06/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 103–117 | Adelaide 36ers | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/06/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 103–86 | Perth Wildcats | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/06/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 100–113 | Brisbane Bullets | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/06/1988 | Westside Saints | 102–88 | Sydney Kings | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/06/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 118–121 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/06/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 105–126 | Adelaide 36ers | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 19

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 24/06/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 93–100 | Adelaide 36ers | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/06/1988 | Sydney Kings | 89–82 | Westside Saints | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/06/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 99–84 | Adelaide 36ers | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/06/1988 | Newcastle Falcons | 99–95 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/06/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 106–100 | Westside Saints | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/06/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 108–117 | North Melbourne Giants | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/06/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 90–94 | Sydney Kings | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 20

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 1/07/1988 | Sydney Kings | 89–92 | Canberra Cannons | State Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/07/1988 | Hobart Tassie Devils | 83–98 | Illawarra Hawks | Kingsborough Sports Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/07/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 140–104 | Geelong Supercats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/07/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 122–99 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/07/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 97–105 | Canberra Cannons | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/07/1988 | Westside Saints | 104–129 | Newcastle Falcons | Keilor Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/07/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 101–99 | Illawarra Hawks | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/07/1988 | Melbourne Tigers | 121–124 | Newcastle Falcons | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 21

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 8/07/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 114–99 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/07/1988 | Illawarra Hawks | 112–123 | Melbourne Tigers | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/07/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 102–88 | Westside Saints | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/07/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 142–100 | Hobart Tassie Devils | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/07/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 138–112 | Melbourne Tigers | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/07/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 135–122 | Sydney Kings | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/07/1988 | Eastside Spectres | 121–108 | Newcastle Falcons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/07/1988 | Geelong Supercats | 99–110 | Westside Saints | Geelong Arena | N/A | boxscore |

## Ladder

This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.
| Pos | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte | 1988 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers | 24 | 19 | 5 | 79.17% | 4–1 | W2 | 11–1 | 8–4 | 2744 | 2400 | 114.33% |
| 2 | North Melbourne Giants$^1$ | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75.00% | 4–1 | W3 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 2903 | 2697 | 107.64% |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets$^1$ | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75.00% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 2603 | 2423 | 107.43% |
| 4 | Canberra Cannons | 24 | 16 | 8 | 66.67% | 5–0 | W7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 2691 | 2515 | 107.00% |
| 5 | Newcastle Falcons$^2$ | 24 | 13 | 11 | 54.17% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 2850 | 2832 | 100.64% |
| 6 | Perth Wildcats$^2$ | 24 | 13 | 11 | 54.17% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 2653 | 2573 | 103.11% |
| 7 | Illawarra Hawks$^3$ | 24 | 11 | 13 | 45.83% | 1–4 | L2 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 2455 | 2410 | 101.87% |
| 8 | Eastside Spectres$^3$ | 24 | 11 | 13 | 45.83% | 3–2 | W2 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 2495 | 2500 | 99.80% |
| 9 | Hobart Tassie Devils$^4$ | 24 | 10 | 14 | 41.67% | 1–4 | L4 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 2298 | 2414 | 95.19% |
| 10 | Sydney Kings$^4$ | 24 | 10 | 14 | 41.67% | 2–3 | L2 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 2460 | 2554 | 96.32% |
| 11 | Westside Saints | 24 | 9 | 15 | 37.50% | 1–4 | W1 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 2534 | 2589 | 97.88% |
| 12 | Melbourne Tigers | 24 | 8 | 16 | 33.33% | 2–3 | L1 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 2562 | 2681 | 95.56% |
| 13 | Geelong Supercats | 24 | 0 | 24 | 00.00% | 0–5 | L24 | 0–12 | 0–12 | 2298 | 2958 | 77.69% |
Updated to match(es) played on 9 July 1988. 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 North Melbourne Giants and Brisbane Bullets (1-1). North Melbourne Giants won For and Against (+9).
$^2$Newcastle Falcons won Head-to-Head (2-0).
$^3$Head-to-Head between Illawarra Hawks and Eastside Spectres (1-1). Illawarra Hawks won For and Against (+9).
$^4$Head-to-Head between Hobart Tassie Devils and Sydney Kings (1-1). Hobart Tassie Devils won For and Against (+12).

## 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 | 91 | 95 | X | | | | | |
| 4 | Canberra Cannons | 107 | 4 | Canberra Cannons | 100 | 100 | X | | | | | |
| 5 | Newcastle Falcons | 92 | | | | | | 2 | North Melbourne Giants | 95 | 117 | 101 |
| | | | | | | | | 4 | Canberra Cannons | 120 | 101 | 108 |
| | | | 2 | North Melbourne Giants | 105 | 137 | 134 | | | | | |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 98 | 6 | Perth Wildcats | 108 | 113 | 111 | | | | | |
| 6 | Perth Wildcats | 113 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Elimination Finals

Both matches were single game elimination contests. The team that qualified 3rd at the end of the regular season would host the team that finished 6th, with the team finishing 4th hosting the team placed 5th. The teams that finished the regular season 1st and 2nd had a bye into the semi-final stage.
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 14/07/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 107–92 | Newcastle Falcons | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/07/1988 | Brisbane Bullets | 98–113 | Perth Wildcats | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Semifinals

Each were played as a best of 3-game series
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 19/07/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 100–91 | Adelaide 36ers | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 20/07/1988 | Perth Wildcats | 108–105 | North Melbourne Giants | Challenge Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/07/1988 | Adelaide 36ers | 95–100 | Canberra Cannons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/07/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 137–113 | Perth Wildcats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/07/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 134–111 | Perth Wildcats | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Grand Final

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 30/07/1988 | Canberra Cannons | 120–95 | North Melbourne Giants | AIS Arena | N/A | boxscore |
| 5/08/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 117–101 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/08/1988 | North Melbourne Giants | 101–108 | Canberra Cannons | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

## 1988 NBL statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers | 36.9 |
| Rebounds per game | Dean Uthoff | Eastside Melbourne Spectres | 17.2 |
| Assists per game | Brendan Joyce | Westside Melbourne Saints | 7.9 |
| Steals per game | Jerry Dennard | Hobart Tassie Devils | 2.8 |
| Blocks per game | Willie Simmons | Canberra Cannons | 3.6 |
| Free throw percentage | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets | 85.6% |

## NBL awards

* Most Valuable Player: Joe Hurst, Hobart Tassie Devils
* Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Phil Smyth, Canberra Cannons
* Rookie of the Year: Shane Heal, Brisbane Bullets
* Coach of the Year: Bruce Palmer, North Melbourne Giants

## All NBL Team

| # | Player | Team |
| PG | Phil Smyth | Canberra Cannons |
| SG | Andrew Gaze | Melbourne Tigers |
| SF | Leroy Loggins | Brisbane Bullets |
| PF | Mark Davis | Adelaide 36ers |
| C | Tim Dillon | North Melbourne Giants |