The following are previews with betting tips for Round 4 of the 2017/18 NBL season.
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Thursday, October 26
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Brisbane Bullets v New Zealand Breakers7:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: Brisbane’s leading scorer this campaign is Perrin Buford with 20.0ppg while New Zealand’s leading scorer is DJ Newbill with 14.8ppg.
Pre-game Lead-up: For the Bullets they were reasonably decent in their last round loss to the Hawks, with the exception of their third quarter. During that period they allowed Illawarra to explode for 39 points while Brisbane themselves only scored 16. Before the third quarter the score was 55-45 in the Bullets favour, that period really killed of the game for Brisbane. While for New Zealand last game they came away victors with an 88-76 win over Melbourne. In that encounter Tom Abercrombie and Edgar Sosa combined for a very impressive 38 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block. They’ll look to dominate again this game.
Key Player: Brisbane have a meager one win this season while the Breakers have three. New Zealand have scored 71 more points than the Bullets this season. This offensive contribution is one of the major contributors to their vastly different ladder positions. As such Brisbane will have to rely heavily on the likes of Buford (20.0ppg), Daniel Kickert (16.3ppg) and Travis Trice (13.3ppg) in this encounter to give them the attacking firepower needed to beat the Breakers.
Betting tip: Pick the Breakers to win by 1-10 at $3.25 (William Hill)
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Perth Wildcats v Illawarra Hawks9:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: Perth’s leading scorer from behind the arc this season is last campaigns finals MVP Bryce Cotton who has made 8 of 19 (42%). While Illawarra’s is Rotnei Clarke, a former NBL MVP himself, who has shot 12 of 27 this season (44%).
Pre-game Lead-up: For these two sides they had opposing games last round. The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season going down to Cairns 90-69. While for the Hawks they posted their inaugural win of the campaign after beating Brisbane 105-96. The third quarter was a big one for Illawarra as the posted 39 points while keeping their opponents to only 16. That massive third period won them the game. As for Perth the first and third quarters were major in the context of the game as in both periods they were kept to only 15 points and collectively they were outscored by 20 during those quarters.
Key Player: This season the Wildcats are averaging an impressive 82ppg while they posses a 3-1 record. If any team wishes to beat them they’ll have to play some very strong defence such as the Hawks will have to do on Thursday night. The key to doing that will be through the likes of Andrew Ogilvy (1.5 blocks per game) as well as Delvon Johnson and Demitrius Conger (a combined 6.3 defensive rebounds per game). If they play strong in forcing shots away and preventing the Wildcats from second chance points, the struggling Hawks will be in with a fighters chance of winning this game.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to have a fast start and be the first to 10 points at $1.60 (William Hill)
The Wildcats will also be looking to rebound strongly from their first loss of the season, pick them to win at $1.30 (Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, UniBet)
Friday, October 27
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Cairns Taipans v Adelaide 36ers7:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: Cairn’s are currently equal second last in the league in regards to rebounds per game (31.8). This while Adelaide are outright third in the NBL (38.2).
Pre-game Lead-up: For the Taipans their last clash was a very impressive 21 point win over the Wildcats. The fact that they kept them to only 69 points is one of the most impressive aspects of that win. Also within that same clash every starter for Cairns bar Stephen Weigh scored in double figures. But even Weigh himself still came away with four points, six rebounds and two assists. For Adelaide they were similar to the Warriors as they made the Kings look like a high school basketball side as they posted an easy 30 point win. During the first two quarters Adelaide broke the 30 point barrier and ended up with 114 overall. They also kept the Kings to only 11 points in the third period. Shannon Shorter had 19 while Nathan Sobey came off the bench with 25. This match-up should produce a very entertaining spectacle of Basketball.
For the 36ers they have also announced the signing of ex-NBA player and NBL-superstar Josh Childress. Childress during his career has had stops in Atlanta, Phoenix, Brooklyn and New Orleans. In 2015 he was also a member of the All-NBL First Team while with the Kings. He provides instant scoring whether starting or coming off the bench and should prove to be a superb buy for the 36ers (should he stay relatively injury free) in their quest to win the NBL.
Key Player: Mitch McCarron. Last round when his side handed Perth their first loss of the season, he came of the bench for an impressive 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. If the starters are struggling early on against Adelaide or they need a rest, McCarron will again be relied upon to carry the scoring load for the 4th placed Taipans. If he is able to get his shot going whenever he comes on it will prove vital in an attempt to get Cairns the win and in the process move above 3rd placed Adelaide.
Betting tip: Pick under 170.50 to be scored at $1.90 (Bet365)
Saturday, October 28
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Brisbane Bullets v Melbourne United5:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: One of the Bullets premier players this campaign in Travis Trice is averaging an impressive 13.3ppg, 4.0rpg and 5.3apg. While Melbourne’s star man in Casper Ware is averaging a just as good 15.5ppg, 3.3rpg and 5.5apg.
Key Player: Casper Ware is an ex-NBA player while Chris Goulding is a Boomer. Somehow, despite their credentials, last round against New Zealand in their sides disappointing 12 point loss, they combined for only 13 points. They shot a combined 4 of 19 from the field in an absolutely pathetic effort from the pair. Against a Bullets side which at the time of writing has only a singular win for the season, it presents the perfect opportunity for them to redeem themselves. They’ll be looking to play their way back into form and in the process earn Melbourne a healthy win.
Pre-game Lead-up: For the Bullets last round they gave the Hawks their maiden victory of the season as they went down 105-96. They actually led by 15 points after the first quarter and despite being outscored in the second still had a comfortable lead. In the third quarter they threw it all away before restoring some parity in the fourth, however it wasn’t enough to stop them from slumping to their second loss in three attempts. For Melbourne they too were thoroughly disappointing in their 88-76 loss to New Zealand. Casey Prather and Josh Boone combined for just under half the teams points (42). But they were severely let down by the previously mentioned Ware, Goulding and Tai Wesley who combined for a very poor 22 points with a shocking field goal percentage. Both side have every incentive to turn it around and win this game.
Betting tip: Pick Brisbane to win at $2.35 (Bet365, Ladbrokes)
However despite this Melbourne should still get off to a hot start, pick them to be the first to 10 points at $1.83 (William Hill)
Sunday, October 29
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Illawarra Hawks v Sydney Kings3:00pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: At the time of writing, both clubs this season have a combined two wins and occupy the bottom two positions on the ladder. This while every club with the exception of Brisbane this campaign have as many wins as those two sides combined, or more.
Key Player: The Kings are the worst team in the NBL this season, no doubt about it. Andrew Gaze is struggling as a second year coach while the team looks directionless on the court. However to compound the Kings misery in last rounds 30 point humbling at the hands of Adelaide starting guard Jason Cadee and starting foward Todd Blanchfield combined for only 9 points in around 58 combined minutes of play. The pair will have to do a lot better than that if they wish to deliver the Kings only their second win of the campaign. The other three starters combined for 51 points.
Pre-game Lead-up: The Hawks have been previously mentioned in the article so they’re all covered. This campaign for the Kings they have gotten rid of the longtime and famous lion mascot, lost Kevin Lisch for a significant period of time, replaced him with a guard when a center is really what was needed, lost four of five games, seen Amritpal Singh clearly be the wrong option for an import and loss most of the fan-bases respect. Nothing more could go wrong for the Kings than what has already happened this season. The Kings will either A, collapse under all the pressure and let the Hawks beat them with ease or B, show a little bit of strength and show the whole of Sydney who the Kings really are.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to be the first to 10 points at $2.10 (William Hill)
Best Bet of the Round
Pick a rebound Kings win at $2.75 (William Hill)
Pick the second quarter between Perth vs Illawarra to be the highest scoring at $4.80 (Bet365)