The following are previews with betting tips for Round 4 of the 2018/19 NBL season.
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Thursday, November 1
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Brisbane Bullets v Adelaide 36ers7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game Lead-up: The Bullets headed into Q2 against Illawarra on the back of a 30 point first quarter and an eight point lead. However in the second in at blew up for them as they put up only 12 points and conceded 29. They also lost Q3 19-16 before winning the fourth 20-16. This all resulted in a disappointing 86-78 loss. Cameron Gliddon was the standout performer for Brisbane as hit 8/16 shots on his way to 24 points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal. Te Rangi also ended up with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists. Cameron Bairstow also had eight points, eight boards, one dime and a steal and a block each. That while Jason Cadee shot 2/7 and Adam Gibson 1/6 in what were sorry nights for those two men.
As for Adelaide they got absolutely whooped going down to the Breakers by 20 in a 114-94 defeat. The 36ers put up 37 points in the first quarter and were on absolute fire. And then in the next two periods proceeded to put up 23 and 26 points respectively. However in Q4 it all imploded for them as they scored only a pathetic eight points while leaking 27. That right there is where they lost the match. Wiley was very good as he hit 10/12 shots on his way to 23 points as well as three rebounds and a swat. Johnson also had 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. While Drmic scored 12 and Sobey 10. However of the bench Harry Frolling went into absolute beast mode scoring 20 points and pulling in nine boards.
What Should Happen: An Adelaide victory. The Bullets recently released former NBA veteran and import player Alonzo Gee for personal reasons and it clearly hurt them against the Hawks. His tenacious ability for both putting the ball through the hoop and rebounding the ball is something Brisbane sorely need. They’ll still need a couple of games to fully adjust to life without him. And while this happens expect the 36ers to pounce and claim a victory over the affected Bullets.
Betting tip: Pick ADL to win at $1.60 (Ladbrokes)
Friday, November 2
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Sydney Kings v Illawarra Hawks7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game Lead-up: For the Kings it went into OT but they eventually got it done there with the 98-90 victory over Cairns. Sydney won Q2 23-18 as well as Q4 25-23. And in the extra period they absolutely turned it on in the clutch and had a resounding 14 points to six victory in the quarter. Jerome Randle was at his usual best with 24 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals. While Kevin Lisch went all Klay Thompson from behind the arc hitting 5/6 three-point attempts on his way to 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Andrew Bogut was strong in every area with eight points, 10 boards, six dimes, one steal and three blocks. While making themselves felt of the bench, Kickert scored 19 and Bowen had 11 points and five boards.
For Illawarra they lost a tight 99-93 game against Melbourne despite their best efforts. The Hawks scored only 16 and 23 in the first two quarters losing both. However they won Q3 33-26 and Q4 21-17. Conklin was looking like the man who was once League MVP as he hit up United for 24 points, five rebounds and a steal. Jackson also scored 15, had two boards and four dimes. Blanchfield also scored 12 and Jett 10. And coming of the pine Andrew Ogilvy was an absolute beast with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals and three blocks. He pestered Melbourne in all sorts of ways.
What Should Happen: The Jerome Randle & Kevin Lisch show comes to town. So far this campaign Randle is averaging 21.0ppg and 5.0apg. That while Lisch is putting up numbers containing 15.3apg and 4.0 apg. Randle is shooting only 28% from behind the arc. However Lisch is doing it at an insane 52% accuracy. In turn these guys form have seen the Kings win two of their opening four games and sit in third position on the ladder behind only Perth and Melbourne. These two men have had some amazing games against the Hawks in the past and expect that to be no different on Friday as Sydney should claim their third win of the season.
Betting tip: Pick SYD to win at $1.39 (PalmerBet, BlueBet)
Saturday, November 3
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Perth Wildcats v New Zealand Breakers2:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game Lead-up: Perth eventually prevailed in double OT as they overcame Melbourne 101-96. In what was a strong effort by the Wildcats they won Q4 18-16. And in the first OT it was a five-five draw. However in the second extra-time period they turned on the Jets and ran away from Melbourne scoring 12 points and keeping United to only seven and in the process securing the victory. That was Perth’s second game in three days making the feat even all the more impressive after they had previously played Brisbane. Cotton hit four three-pointers on his way to 31 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals. While White was crazy good as well with 27 points, six boards and two dimes. Angus Brandt was an absolute beast with 20 rebounds and he also had 14 points, three assists and a steal and a block each. Kay also scored 14 along with 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal.
For New Zealand they posted a comprehensive 20 point victory over Adelaide in their last game. They scored 114 points in the process. In Q1 they put up 31, Q2 was 24, Q3 had 32 and Q4 they produced 27. While they also killed the 36ers keeping them to only EIGHT POINTS!!! in the fourth quarter. This was a very good game for the Breakers. Webster scored 16 to go along with five rebounds and one assist. Wesley had 15, two and three, as well as a steal and a block each. Long was impressive with 14 points, nine boards, one dime, two steals and three blocks. Abercrombie also had 13. Now to the bench Delany lit up the 36ers for 27 massive points, Moore scored 17 and Richards 10.
What Should Happen: Intense and physical Basketball. Kay, Martin, Norton and White all all averaging around a steal per game or more. While for the Breakers that applies to Wesley, Richard, Long and Abercrombie. Altering shots wise Majok is another constantly looming threat for New Zealand. In addition to this the Breakers have the best defence in the NBL and Perth are very solid in that regard. Expect nothing easy at all to be given in this physical match-up.
Betting tip: Pick PER to win at $1.39 (PalmerBet)
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Cairns Taipans v Melbourne United7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game Lead-up: As hard as Cairns fought they couldn’t quite get it done in their 98-90 overtime loss to the Kings. They won the first quarter 20-18 as well as the third quarter 23-18. However when the extra-period came along they couldn’t quite grasp the victory as they went down 14-6. Melo turned it on again with 29 points, four rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Loughton also had 12 points and three boards. That while big Nate Jawai made 5/9 shots on his way to 11 points, four rebounds and one assist. And coming of the bench DJ Newbill proved all class as usual with 18 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and four steals. And Hall had an off shooting night as he converted only three of his 12 looks.
For Melbourne they eventually overcame a strong Hawks side in their 99-93 six point victory. Melbourne lost quarters three and four, however it was the first two that won it for them. Q1 they were victorious 29-16. And Q2 they were victorious 27-23. Casper Ware led the way with 26 points, one rebound and three assists. Barlow had 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. McCarron had 14, five and four, to go along with two steals. And Kennedy produced a stat-line of 13 points, five boards, two dimes, two steals and a swat doing a bit of everything. Of the bench also Hooley had nine and Boone six.
What Should Happen: A high-scoring affair. For Cairns you have Melo averaging 24.8ppg and Newbill 18.7ppg. While Nate Jawai is a consistent third option with 10.8ppg. Robert Loe is also there abouts with nine ppg. Then for Melbourne you have several high profile attacking threats including Goulding with 20.0ppg. Ware is also averaging 14.6ppg and Kennedy 12.8. Barlow, Boone and McCarron also included in there as well. Both sides also put up 90 or more points respectively in their last games. Expect this one to be no different and a real entertainer to watch.
Betting tip: Pick MEL to win at $1.67 (Ladbrokes)
Sunday, November 4
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Adelaide 36ers v Brisbane Bullets2:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game Lead-up: Both sides suffered losses in Round Three. However both sides also played two games last round and each won the first one. For Adelaide they beat Cairns 91-83. In Q1 they were very poor as they lost 20-12. However in Q2 they turned it around winning 26-12. In Q3 it was another reverse result as they lost 30-24, however in the fourth they won it 29-21 securing the close victory. And for the Bullets they beat the previously un-beaten Wildcats handing them their first defeat of the season, 100-96. The quarters that the Bullets did win were Q1, 34-26. While they also won Q3, 21-17.
Adelaide’s star performer was Nathan Sobey who posted a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and a steal also for good measure. Wiley scored 19, Johnson 16 and Drmic 15. Both Johnson and Drmic also had seven boards each. And then coming of the bench, Deng scored 10 and Frolling seven. That while Deleon had three steals. For Brisbane their key men were Bairstow who scored 18. Cadee also had one of his finer games as a Bullet hitting two threes on his way to 14 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Gliddon also had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. While Hodgson had nine points and seven boards. And then coming of the pine, Te Rangi scored 14, Holt 10 and Gibson and Vukona had eight each.
What Should Happen: A reversed result. This will be the second time this round these two teams have faced each other. In the first match-up I know Adelaide will get the W due to Brisbane’s re-adjustment period without Alonzo Gee. However in the second game expect Brisbane to get the win this time instead. They will have learnt from the first game and will be further used to not having Gee in the side. And with a tired Adelaide defence expect poor performing players such as Cadee to have above average games which could be the difference in what should be a tight match.
Betting tip: Pick BRI to win at $3.50 (Ladbrokes)
Monday, November 5
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Melbourne United v Sydney Kings7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game Lead-up: For Melbourne before their win over the Hawks, they suffered a double OT loss to Perth in a 101-96 defeat. The first extra-time period was tied at five points each. However in the second period United couldn’t quite keep up with the Wildcats as they won that period 12-7 and in turn claimed the victory over Dean Vickermen’s men. Casper Ware led the way for Melbourne with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists. While Josh Boone claimed a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He also had one assist and one block. Among Barlow’s stats were eight points and seven rebounds. Coming of the bench, Goulding was simply awesome with 29 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Pledger also scored 10 as well.
For Sydney 98-90 was the score-line as they prevailed in an OT thriller at Qudos Bank Arena. The Kings put on a show in front of their home crowd as they pushed the game into extra-time scoring 25 points in Q4 to the Taipans 23. And then in OT the Kings did what they do best and put up buckets, winning the period 14-6 and claiming their second victory of the still new campaign. Randle & Lisch combined for 46 points, six boards, nine diimes and four steals. While of the bench, Kickert had 19 and Bowen 11. Bogut also had three blocks as he continued to terrorize opposition attacks.
What Should Happen: Two top teams going head to head. In the pre-season these two teams faced each other twice. Melbourne won once and Sydney won once. This is going to be a tense game with not much in the score-line. Ware vs Randle will be a great battle to watch. While Boone vs Bogut is another one. This game has so many great positional battles within it. However given Randle & Bogut’s recent success for Sydney expect those two key players battles to either win the game, or lose the game for Sydney.
Betting tip: Pick SYD to win at $2.25 (BlueBet, Neds, Ladbrokes)
Best Bet of the Round
Favourite/best is SYD to beat ILL at $1.39 (Ladbrokes, BlueBet)