The following are previews with betting tips for Round 11 of the 2018/19 NBL season.
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Wednesday, December 26
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Melbourne United v Adelaide 36ers7:50pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up: United in their last match came up huge in the fourth quarter posting an 19 points to 10 victory and in turn a 75-70 victory over the Kings. They also won Q3 16-13 in what was a very close and entertaining game. Goulding led the way for Melbourne with 16 points while Barlow had 12. Boone, McCarron and Kennedy all had nine. Barlow also posted stats of 11 boards, two dimes and three blocks. While Goulding had only one rebound, one assist and one steal. Casper Ware had a pretty quiet afternoon shooting wise as he shot only 3/13. However he made up for his inability to put the ball through the hoop with five boards, seven dimes and a steal.
As for the 36ers they only just outlasted the Taipans as they came out on top by five points. Adelaide lost the first quarter however they went on to win the next three 24-16, 17-16 and 25-24 respectively. This match was a lot, lot closer then it should have been. Johnson posted 22 points, Conger 15 and Wiley 10. While coming of the bench Deng was huge with 17. Johnson also had five boards and two swats. And Deng hit 3/5 from deep and also pulled in two rebounds. Whilst Conger’s other stats included 60% shooting to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Wiley also had nine boards (a near double-double) and three dimes.
What should happen: The 36ers are quite frankly nothing even close to that of the amazing side they were last season. Last game they only just scraped out a win against Cairns. United on the other-hand are surging and just beat the Kings who were in 1st place before the start of that game. And as well as that United are now the current top dogs in the NBL as well. That factor combined with Casper Ware presumably resuming shooting as normal (and not a horrible 3/13), should mean that Melbourne get the W here.
Betting tip: Pick Melbourne to win at $1.49 (UniBet)
Saturday, December 29
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Sydney Kings v Brisbane Bullets2:50pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up: So close, yet so far for Sydney as they went down by five to Melbourne in front of a record crowd at home. They held the lead for so long but eventually a couple of late missed shots cost them the match. Sydney led by seven heading into the third quarter and by four heading into the fourth. However it wasn’t to be for Andrew Gaze’s men. Randle led the way with 15 points while Lisch had 12. And both Bogut and Newley had 11 each. Randle also had five boards and three dimes. While Lisch had six rebounds, one assist and three steals. Bogut also posted 11 points, 15 boards and four swats.
And for the Bullets they came out strong in their 93-86 victory over the Wildcats as they slowly continue to cement a finals spot. Gliddon went of for 24 points as he hit three from deep. While Patterson had 17 as he also pulled in eight boards and had two steals. Bairstow was also very impressive as he ended up with 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists. While Hodgson went a perfect 4/4 from the court for 11 points. He also had two boards, one dime and two swats. And of the bench Te Rangi scored 10 and Vukona six. The third and fourth quarters are where Brisbane claimed the W. This was because they won them 24-19 and 27-19 respectively.
What should happen: A bounce-back win for Kevin Lisch’s side. Before the loss against Melbourne they had won 7/8 previous games. And there’s no reason why in front of another strong home crowd they can’t make it eight out of their last 10. More involvement from Bowen, Kickert and Wear should definitely help with that, as well as Adnam. The stars played their part in the close loss to Melbourne with Randle, Lisch and Bogut combining for 38 points, 26 boards and four dimes. Now the other guys need to do their part and for the best part of this season they have. The supporting crew should bounce back strongly in this one.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to win at $1.58 (Neds)
Sunday, December 30
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Adelaide 36ers v New Zealand Breakers2:50pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up: For Adelaide they cosigned Cairns to a 13th defeat of the season from 14 games. However it wasn’t all easy going as the Taipans had a five point lead heading into the 2nd quarter. While the 36ers were only victorious by a single point in both the 3rd and 4th quarters. There was some stellar shooting on display from Adelaide in this match. Conger went 6/10 and had 15 points. Johnson went 7/10 and had 22 points. Wiley went 5/9 and had 10 points. Teys made his only shot attempt of the game while Deng went 5/8 of the bench! and had 17! An awesome effort by him. The 36ers pulled it together enough in the end to claim the tight victory and as a result currently sit only one win of a finals spot.
For the Breakers they thrashed the Hawks by 17 points in an absolutely awesome effort by them. They didn’t lose a single quarter and kept Illawarra to only 10 during the opening stanza. The Breakers also proceeded to score 22, 24, 24 then 26 points during each period respectively. In what has so far been a not great season for them, this was a very, very solid effort. Long led the way with 26 points on 10/14 shooting. While he also had 13 boards and two swats. Richard also scored 14 and Ili 12. Richard also had three boards, six dimes and one steal. And coming of the pine both Moore and Weeks made their presence felt with 13 points a piece. Moore also with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
What should happen: On the ladder Adelaide is only a win better then New Zealand. However the 36ers are offensively 171 points better then the Breakers this season and that’s where the game will be one. Both teams are fairly strong defensively when it comes to the sides that don’t currently occupy a finals spot. But when it comes to shooting the ball through the hoop Adelaide have it all covered over NZ. Johnson & Sobey (should he bounce-back) will be the difference in this game.
Betting tip: Pick Adelaide to win at $1.58 (Neds, BetFair)
Monday, December 31
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Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets5:20pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up: The Hawks scored 10! Yes you read that right, TEN! That’s the number of points they put up in the opening period as NZ absolutely hammered them 96-79. However they then bounced back as they beat Perth of all teams in their second match of the round. Contrasting results? Yes, but an absolutely special one vs the Wildcats. They won the 3rd quarter 28-18 and the fourth 15-9. Keeping Perth to nine points in a quarter is something truly special! Andersen led the way with 21 points while Blanchfield strongly backed him up with 19. Andersen shot 61.5% from the court and also had two boards while he hit 3/4 FT attempts. Blanchfield also had two boards while he also had two steals. He hit 8/11 shots and was on fire. Illawarra in turn still remain in the mix for a finals berth.
The Bullets might have won the second two quarters in their W against Perth. However they had to do it the hard way as they lost Q1 22-18 and Q2 26-24. It was a massive effort from one of the NBL’s biggest surprise packets and there were so many stars to pick from. Former NBA players Patterson and Bairstow had 17 points and 13 points respectively. As well as eight and nine rebounds. While Gliddon hit all nine of his FT attempts en route to 24 points. While he also did a bit of everything else with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. While of the bench Te Rangi was the man with 10 points on four of five shooting. And he also dished out four dimes.
What should happen: Illawarra have no doubt, 1000% had their moments this season despite currently not occupying a finals spot. Who could forget their insane 123-122 defeat to Melbourne? That being one of the stand outs. And now only last round they prove to be David coming up against Goliath again as they beat the Wildcats? Them being a team that was in first position for like 95% of the current NBL campaign. And Andersen and Blanchfield combined for 40 points! They still won despite Conklin going 1/8 and Jett 3/11. That fighting spirit and hopefully improved effort from some of their best players should see them claim the victory.
Betting tip: Pick Illawarra to win at $2.25 (SportsBet, BlueBet, Neds)
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Cairns Taipans v Perth Wildcats7:50pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up: It represented their 13th loss from 14 games so far this campaign as it was a case of so close, yet so far for Cairns as they went down by only five points to Adelaide. They won the first quarter and had a lead heading into the second. However in the 2nd and 3rd they put up 16 points both times which definitely did not help their cause at all. Both Melo and Jawai scored 18 points a piece. Outside of them Newbill had 15 and Hall 11. Melo also had two boards, six dimes and one steal. While Jawai had nine rebounds and a steal. And he also hit a nice 6/7 shots. And while DJ’s shooting was off 5/13 (38.5%), he made up for it in other ways with three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Hall also had four boards, five dimes and a steal.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Some disappointing results for Perth this round as they lost by seven to Brisbane and by four to Illawarra. But I’ll focus on the latter as that was their most recent result. Perth held a 12 point buffer heading into half-time. However by the end of Q3 that lead was whittled down to just two points. And boy oh boy the Hawks were strong in the fourth as they kept the Wildcats to only nine points and in the process scored 15 themselves. This was most definitely not one of Perth’s finer efforts of the season! Cotton scored 21, Jervis 12 and White 10. Cotton also however scored a ghastly 6/17 and had only three boards and three dimes. While Jervis also had six rebounds and one assist. And White also pulled in six boards and got two steals.
What should happen: This game has the potential for one of two things to occur. The first and more obvious one being after Perth lost both of their games last round they bounce back and destroy the hapless Taipans. Or the second less obvious one being a miracle occurs. It won’t be all that long after Christmas happens that this game is played, so who knows? But I think the post-Christmas miracle will occur and Cairns will beat Perth of all teams. Melo’s hot, DJ’s doing DJ like things, Jawai is showing why he was once a Toronto Raptor. You heard it here first!
Betting tip: Pick Cairns to cause the massive upset win at $2.75 (Neds)
Best Bet of the Round
My favourite/ best bet of the round is for Melbourne to win at $1.49 (UniBet) vs ADL, they’re in form and ready to pounce on another team!!!