The following are previews with betting tips for Round 16 of the 2019/20 NBL season.
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Friday, January 17
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New Zealand Breakers v Sydney Kings7:30pm AEDT |
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Last RD- The Breakers are currently in 8th and 2nd last position. From 21 games played this season, they have 9W’s and 12L’s. They are two wins out of a finals spot and with the end of the regular campaign not all that far away, they need to pick up their form ASAP if they’re to have a chance of competing in the post-season. Their latest efforts were perhaps a somewhat unfortunate 95-85 defeat to Brisbane. They won Q1 & Q3, 18-15 and 25-20. But they lost the other two, 34-21 and 26-21. Ashley was important as he posted 12PTS of the bench for them. Of the starters both Abercrombie and Henry had 17PTS each, while Hopson posted 14. Delany and Loe each had 9PTS each also. Ashley also had 5REB and 1BL as he shot 60% from the court. Abercrombie also had 4REB, 1AST and 1STL. Henry had 3REB, 2AST and 1STL as he made three three’s from beyond the arc. Hopson also had 4REB, 6AST and 1STL. He shot 50% from beyond the arc (2/4).
The Kings are still in 1st and have been all season long, a new record, as they currently have 15W’s and just 6L’s next to their name through 21 match’s played. Their latest victory came via a nine-point, 92-83 win over Cairns last round. The Kings won or drew every single quarter as from Q’s 1-4 the scores ended up being, 23-16, 21-21, 24-23 and 24-23. Ware and Kickert both had 18PTS. Tate scored 15. And both Newley and Bruce had 13 each. Ware also had 4AST and 1STL as he shot a neat 4/10 from 3-point range. Kicks also got 2REB and 1AST as he made 4 of his 6 attempted 3-point shots. Tate also ended up with 8REB, 1AST, 2STL and 1BL. Newley had 3REB as he made all three of his 2-point shots. And Bruce also had 3REB, 1AST and was strong defensively with 3STL next to his name. Sydney were commanding from start to finish in this one.
Key Player- Daniel Kickert. Last round against the Taipans, he went a commanding 4/6 from deep. He’s similar to Harden or Thompson, he can make them with someone literally standing right in front of him. Two games before that he went 4/5 from deep vs the Hawks. And two games before that he was 4/4 from 3 against SEM. He had 18PTS of the pine last round and is proving to be a vital piece to the Championship puzzle for Sydney. Even if NZ’s starters can somehow keep up with Sydney’s, his presence of the bench will ensure that the Kings pull away with this one.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to win at $1.79 (UniBet)
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Perth Wildcats v S.E. Melbourne Phoenix9:30pm AEDT |
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Last RD- Perth are a comfortable 2nd as they currently sit two wins ahead of 3rd and three ahead of 4th and 5th. At this rate, they’re reaching the playoffs for yet another consecutive season. And hats of to them because of it. Through 22 games played so far this season, they have 14W’s and 8L’s. Their latest game was a 22 point thrashing, 99-77 win over the Hawks. The Wildcats drained a franchise high 17 3’s in this very much so one-sided affair. Perth won Q1, 27-17.They also won Q2, 27-19. They lost Q3, 24-19. And they again won Q4, 26-17. Cotton led the way with 23PTS. White scored 17PTS. Both Norton and Kay had 14 each. Of the pine, Steindl had 13. And making his NBL debut, hotly anticipated ex-NBA big man Plumlee scored 6PTS. He also had 3REB, 1AST, 1STL and 2BL next to his name, all done in just over 16 minutes of play. Cotton had 4REB, 6AST and a BIG 4STL. He made 7 BIG 3’s as well. White had 3REB, 3AST and 3STL. The triple three! Norton had next to his name 2REB and 5AST. And the other 14PTS scorer, Kay, had 10REB, 4AST and 1STL as he made 80% of his 2-point shots.
South East Melbourne are currently 7th on the NBL ladder. They have 9W’s and 11L’s through 20 games played so far this campaign. They are just two wins of 3rd and 4th spot. They have picked up their form lately and that must continue if they wish to claim a finals berth in their maiden NBL season. It simply must! And thankfully for them, it was all smiles after their latest game, a nice 90-82 win over Illawarra. South East lost Q1 & Q4. The scores were 26-18 and 20-15. They did crucially however win the middle two Q’s, 29-13 and 28-23. Stephens led the way with 20PTS, 6REB, 1AST and 2STL. Magden had 17PTS, 3REB and 5AST. Pineau was massive with 14PTS, 18REB, 1STL and 3BL!!! And Roberson shot 60% on his 2-point attempts as he ended up with 12PTS, 2REB and 7 dimes. Adnam also posted 9PTS, 5AST and and 3STL of the bench.
Key Player- Cotton. Who else bar the former Jazz man? 23PTS, 4STL and 7 3’s were amongst his major stats last time out vs the Hawks. He’s going to have a field day vs the struggling Phoenix. SEM’s last match was also against the Hawks and they converted barely any triples. Cotton made 7 on his own as a part of a Perth record 17 from deep on the nigh. He’ll light it up from behind the arc and chances are probably everywhere else as well. Limiting his looks where they can and getting a good defender on him such as Creek may be SEM’s only real chances to limit his production in this one.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to win at $1.38 (UniBet)
Saturday, January 18
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Brisbane Bullets v Illawarra Hawks5:30pm AEDT |
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Last RD- Brisbane are right in the thick of things as they currently fight for a much wanted NBL finals spot. Something they themselves, Cairns, Melbourne, Adelaide, South East Melbourne and New Zealand are all desperately scrapping it out for. Currently they’re just one win of 4th and two of 3rd. Through 21 match’s played so far they have a 10W’s and 11L’s record. Their latest efforts was an impressive 95-85 win over the previously inform Breakers. They lost Q’s 1& 3, 18-15 and 25-20. But the other two they won, 34-21 and 26-21. Patterson had 18PTS, while both Gliddon and Braun had 14. Singler posted 13PTS and Hodgson 10. Both Sobey and Magnay had 9PTS each and Cadee 8. Patterson also had 7REB, 5AST and 1STL. Gliddon had 4REB as he shot a perfect 5/5 from the court. Braun got 2REB as he shot 71.4% on his shots. Singler had 9REB, 2AST and 1STL. And Hodgson got 10REB and 2AST as he made both his FT attempts.
The Hawks are currently dead last on the NBL ladder as they occupy 9th position. Through 22 games, they have just 5W’s next to their name a a humongous 17L’s. Unfortunately for them, it’s just not their season. They showed a lot of fight and a lot of heart in their most recent 90-82 defeat to South East Melbourne. The Hawks won Q’s 1 & 4, 26-18 and 20-15. They did critically lose the middle two however, 29-13 and 28-23. Blanchfield scored 15PTS. And all of Dech, Froling and Grida had 13PTS each. Coenraad also scored 8PTS and Glover 7. Blanchfield had 2REB, 2AST and 2STL. Dech had 5REB and 2AST as he made 5 2’s. Froling also had 11REB and he went 6/9 from the floor. Grida had next to his name an assist, as he shot 4/7 from the floor, good for 57.1%.
Key Player- Blanchfield. There’s no Brooks. There’s no Ball. One of their imports only lasted a couple of days before he went back home for goodness sake! But former Melbourne and Sydney man Todd has proved to be a reliable veteran this season, especially as of late. He scored 15PTS in his sides close defeat last round. He also scored 26 before that and 35 before that. He then had 14PTS, 13PTS, 22PTS. The list goes on and on and on. He’s capable of scoring inside and from deep. Whether the Hawks win or lose this one (probably lose), expect him to make his mark felt on the game.
Betting tip: Pick Brisbane to win at $1.16 (SportsBet)
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Cairns Taipans v Adelaide 36ers |
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Last RD- The Taipans are currently a very impressive 3rd on the ladder, as they have 12W’s and 10L’s through 22 games played this season. They continue to show amazing resilience and form as they’ve beaten the top teams this season. And to their credit, they’re ahead of Melbourne currently and are two wins of Perth and just three of the ladder-leading Kings. Their latest game however was a 92-83 loss to the previously-mentioned top-tier Kings. They lost Q’s 1, 3 & 4, 23-16, 24-23 and 24-23. Q2 was a tight 21-21 draw. Deng scored 18PTS, Machado posted 16, Newbill had 15 and Djeric 14. Oliver scored 8PTS and Jawai had 6PTS of the pine. Deng also had 6REB and 1STL as he made 4/8 2-point shots. Machado had 6REB, 5AST and an impressive 3STL. Newbill ended up with 2REB, 7AST, 3STL and 1BL. He also converted on 54.5% of his two-point shots. Djeric had 5REB, 3AST and a crazy 4STL! Oliver shot 42.9% from the court and Jawai, 75.0%.
Adelaide are currently on the same number of wins as 4th placed Melbourne 11 and they have just a loss more then them at 11, as they sit in 5th place, just on the edge of a playoffs berth. They’re also just one win of 3rd spot as they continue to fight and punch above their weight, led by Jerome Randle and his crew of relatively speaking misfits and good ole Joey Wright. Their latest game, in front of a record breaking crowd, was a comprehensive 100-86 win over finals rivals Melbourne. They won Q1, 32-24. They lost Q2, 24-21. They then won Q3 & 4, 26-22 and 21-16. Randle was massive with 23PTS, 3REB and 3AST as he converted on 10/19 shots. Griffin was also big as he had 21PTS, 11REB and 1BL. Johnson had stats of 19PTS and 7REB as he went 7/12 from the floor. Teys had 11PTS, 3REB, 4AST and 1STL. While Drmic posted 9PTS and Froling 8.
Key Player- Griffin. Cairns weren’t particularly troubling against Sydney last round. And the Kings most definitely made them pay with some easy looks inside against them. Ware, Newley and the likes all had a go against them. Enter into the equation, Eric Griffin! The big man has been one of the 36ers best performers this season and he lit up MEL for 21PTS last round. Before that he had 15PTS and 9REB. Against the Kings he had 12 and 5. He’s a dominant inside force and if the Taipans play the way against Adelaide that they did against SYD, then Griffin’s in for a BIG, BIG night.
Betting tip: Pick Adelaide to win at $2.58 (SportsBet)
Sunday, January 19
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New Zealand Breakers v Melbourne United3pm AEDT |
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Last RD- New Zealand lost both their games played this round, going 0/2. The 2nd one was their already talked about 10 point, 95-85 loss to Brisbane. The 1st one however was their six-points, 85-79 defeat to Cairns. Those two results have left them in 2nd last place on the ladder (8th), ahead of only the lowly Hawks. Through 21 games played so far, they have 9W’s and 12L’s. Yet they remain just one win of 4th spot. NZ won Q1 & Q3, 25-20 and 20-14. They lost however Q2 & Q4, 30-19 and 21-15. Loe posted a massive 24PTS of the pine. Hopson had 18 and Abercrombie 16. Ashley and Weeks both also had 7PTS each. Loe also had 4REB and 3BL as he shot 10/16 from the floor. Hopson had 7REB, 8AST and 2STL as he made three 3’s from deep. Abercrombie also ended up with 7REB and 1AST as he converted on 60% of his attempted shots. NZ needed to win this game and they didn’t. It’s as simple as that.
Melbourne are currently in 4th spot and are in danger of missing out on the finals all together, as they currently have an 11W’s and 10L’s record through the first 21 games of the season. They’re just two wins of 2nd last place. Their only game last round was a disappointing 100-86 loss to the 36ers, who are red hot on their trails in pursuit of that elusive 4th and final finals spot. They won Q’s 1, 3 and 4, 32-24, 26-22 and 21-16. And they only lost Q2, 24-21. Goulding had 26PTS, Long 16 and McCarron 10. Smith-Milner also had eight of the bench. Goulding also had 2REB and 3AST as he made an insane 6 from deep. Long also had a big 15REB and 1STL. McCarron also had 9REB and 5AST. Disappointingly, Barlow made just 1/7 shots and Trimble, 2/13 shots.
Key Player- Melo Trimble. Who else but one of the most polarizing players in the NBL? Against Adelaide he scored just 5PTS. He went 2/13 overall and 0/5 from 3-point range. That’s simply not good enough for a player of his caliber and on his sort of a pay check!!! Before that it was just 8 against the Hawks and 9 vs Brisbane. MEL will win this game and they will dominate it, in no small part to Melo. Expect him to explode for a 20pts+ performance in this one as he regains his old form once again. And he kinda has no choice but to do so given the difficult finals predicament he and his side find themselves in at the moment.
Betting tip: Pick Melbourne to win at $2.05 (Bet365)
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Sydney Kings v S.E. Melbourne Phoenix |
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Last RD- The Kings have been in 1st place from the very start of the season, a new incredible record, as they have 15W’s and 6L’s through the first 21 games of their simply historical and great campaign. The latest of those 15W’s came last round with their already talked about nine-point, 92-83 win over Cairns. Q’s 1-4 ended up as, 23-16, 21-21, 24-23 and 24-23 all in the Kings favor (excluding the draw, which was a tie obviously). Ware had 18PTS as did ‘Kicks’. They combined for eight threes. Tate scored 15PTS while both Newley and Bruce had 13 apiece. The Kings shot the ball pretty damn well in this one as Bogut went 3/6, Cooks was 3/6, Newley was 5/9, Bruce was 5/10 and Kickert was 5/10. Tate was one made shot of shooting 50% from the floor. And Ware still made 7 shots overall + he got all of his points impressively without a single FT attempt. If they keep that up against SEM, then they’ll surely be no match for them.
South East Melbourne are at the moment, in equal 2nd last place. Through 20 games played they have 9W’s and 11L’s next to their name in the win-loss column. But they also sit just two wins of 4th spot. It’s a close competition and the more you win, the closer you get to a finals spot. Although Sydney might make it that much more difficult for them to climb the ladder in what I expect to be a hugely one-sided affair. Their only game last round, was their already talked about 90-82 win over the last-placed Hawks. Illawarra gave them a bit of a scare in the eight-point win. Q1 & Q4 SEM lost, 26-18 and 20-15. Q’s 2 & 3 they crucially however won, 29-13 and 28-23. Stephens had 20PTS, Madgen 17, Pineau 14 and Roberson 12. Adnam also scored 9PTS and Creek 8. Creek shot 3/11, Roberson 4/10 and Wesley 3/11. Creek and Wesley in particular shot the ball shockingly. Adnam also went 0/1 from 3, Wesley was 0/4 and Roberson was 1/5. Their shooting woes need to be fixed ASAP in order to be in with a chance of claiming an upset win over the ladder-leaders.
Key Player- Andrew Bogut. The former NO.1 NBA pick, ex-NBA champ and reigning NBL MVP has had a relatively quiet season by his standards so far. He’s averaging just 8.6PPG and 9.0RPG. He should be getting a double-double nightly at the very least. But SEM don’t exactly have a great interior defence and that’s where he’ll take advantage of. It was only two games ago vs the 36ers that he got 13PTS, 10REB, 3AST and 1BL. That form will shine through as he should make a statement in what should also be a big Sydney Kings victory.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to win at $1.38 (UUniBet)
Best Bet of the Round
Pick Sydney to win at $1.79 (UniBet) VS NZ
Also pick Sydney to win at $1.38 (UniBet) vs SEM