NBL Round 9 – Selected Fixtures and Betting Tips

The following are previews with betting tips for Round 9 of the 2021 NBL season.

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Wednesday, March 10

New Zealand Breakers vs Cairns Taipans John Cain Arena 5:00pm AEDT

This match-up sees the 8^th placed Breakers with a 3-7 record go head-to-head against the 9^th placed Taipans who have a 4-10 record. Whoever wins this bottom-placed clash will go a long way to avoiding finishing with the Wooden Spoon this year.

The Breakers last game was a very, very tight 87-84 loss to Melbourne. As for Cairns, they went down 81-71 against the 36ers. Both of these clashes were contested at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne. NZ’s key Q was the 2^nd, where they won 19-16. For the Taipans it was Q4, there they lost the game, as they went down 22-15.

NZ’s top 3 performers were T. Webster with 32PTS, C. Webster with 14 and Abercrombie with 13. T. Webster shot an insane 12/20, as he also got 1REB, 2AS and 2ST. For his bro, he got 5REB, 2AS and 2ST. And Abercrombie went 6/9, as he also pulled in 2 boards. For the Taipans, Krslovic had 12PTS, King 11 and Machado 9. Krslovic shot 50% from the floor as he had 5REB, 1AS, 1ST and 1BL. King also shot 4/5 overall and hit 3 from deep. Whilst for former NBA player Machado, some of his other stats included 6REB, 7AS and 2ST.

Cam Oliver should be the difference maker in this one, helping give Cairns a much-needed W. Against ADL he scored just 8PTS and had only 6REB. Before that he had 12/4, 21/6, 19/14, 18/6 and 13/8, just to give you an idea of some of his prior form. The Oakland-born Forward came up big for Cairns during last years Finals Series vs Perth and has done so countless other times for the QLD based club. And now his team needs him more then ever to pick up the slack, alongside Machado, to help push their season up from the doldrums. Expect him to be a menace on the court in this clash.

Betting tips- Pick Cairns to win at $2.20 (bet365).

Also pick them to prevail in Q1 at odds of $2.00 or more when they become available.

 

South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Melbourne United John Cain Arena 7:30pm AEDT

This Melbourne Derby should produce a simply cracking clash! S.E.M currently have 6 wins and 7 losses on the campaign, as they sit in 7^th spot. As for Melbourne, they’re in 1^st place with 10 wins and just 2 defeats to their name.

Both playing at the John Cain Arena, S.E.M lost a thrilling and fun-to-watch clash against the Kings, 91-85. For United, they also lost a tense match, as they went down 96-88 to Brisbane. Both teams will be seeking to redeem themselves in this one, no doubt. The Phoenix’s key Q was when they won the 2^nd, 33-24. For Melbourne, their key Q was the 1^st, that’s where they lost 25-16.

Some of the Phoenix’s top performers includes Creek who posted 22PTS. He shot 8/12, as he also had 9REB and 3AS. Wetzell was also impressive with 16PTS, as he also pulled in 5 boards. And Le afa was strong as well with 15PTS of the bench. He also posted 5REB, 2AS and 1ST. For United, all their main performers were starters. Goulding had 21PTS, Landale 18 and McCarron 11. Goulding hit a crazy 6 from beyond the arc, as he also had a dime. Landale also got 12REB, 2AS and 2BL. While McCarron shot 50% from 2-point range, as some of his other stats included 7REB, 1AS and 1ST.

Melbourne showed last game that they can be very, very vulnerable when a team attacks them with the right game plan. That’s what the Phoenix should be aiming to do right here. When they last played MEL, they lost 96-90, as they won one and drew one Q. Key from that clash was Wetzell, who posted 17PTS, 7REB and 1BL. The big man will have to be just as efficient and just as strong again here to give his side a chance of winning. Stopping inside shots from players such as Goulding, Landale and Baba to name a few certainly won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, he sure as hell can. And if he can back up his defence with some great offence as well, then S.E.M are fair game to take this one out.

Betting tips- Pick S.E.M to win at $2.40 (bet365).

Also pick them to prevail in Q2 at odds of $2.00 or more when they become available.

 

Thursday, March 11

Brisbane Bullets vs Adelaide 36ers John Cain Arena 5:00pm AEDT

Brisbane have had a rich run of form lately and this in-turn has propelled them to 4^th on the ladder, with a 7-6 record. Whilst for the 36ers, their a spot behind in 5^th. They have 7 W’s and 8 L’s on the year. Both playing in Melbourne, the Bullets latest affair saw them topple United 96-88. For the 36ers, they also had some hot shooting at hand, as they beat the Taipans 81-71.

Brisbane played very strongly in this one. And ultimately their key Q was the 4^th where they won 25-21. For Adelaide, they came up big in their W and it was one that they needed badly in order to stay in touch with the Top 4. Their key Q was also the 4^th, that where they won 22-15.

Brisbane’s key performers saw Hodgson score 24PTS on an efficient 10/16 shooting. Cadee also scored 19PTS as he hit 5 from deep. And Sobey also produced 17PTS. Hodgson’s other stats included 4REB, 2AS, 1ST and 1BL. For Cadee his electric game saw him have 4REB, 3AS and 3ST. And Sobey had 5 boards, 5 dimes and a swat to his name. For the 36ers, Johnson was massive with 30PTS. This as he shot 55.6% from the court. He also had 9REB, 2AS and 1BL. McVeigh had 14PTS, as he shot 62.5% from the floor. He also got 3REB and 2AS. Whilst Giddey did Giddey-like things, as he posted 10PTS. He also had 6REB, 8AS, 2ST and 2BL.

Hodgson holds the keys to the Lamborghini in this one. Inside the arc, he’ll make it an absolute nightmare for Guards such as Giddey and Crocker to be able to set up close-to-the-rim baskets. He’s had 2 blocks over his past 2 games and he’s also had a steal. Whilst over that same period, he’s also pulled in 5 defensive REB and against PER 2 matches ago, he had 9REB in total. He also had that previously mentioned 24PTS vs MEL and he went a great 4/4 from the FT line. Adelaide better watch out otherwise he’ll have another monster night and help lead Brisbane to a commanding W in the process.

Betting tips- Pick Brisbane to win at $1.40 (bet365, UniBet)

Also pick the Bullets to win Q4 at $1.73 (UniBet)

 

Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks John Cain Arena 7:30pm AEDT

The Kings currently occupy 6^th spot on the ladder with a 6-7 record. They are just a win off the Top Four. As for the Hawks, they’re still flying pretty high in 3^rd place, as they have a 7-6 record and are only three wins behind Melbourne in 1^st. With both their matches being played in Melbourne, the Kings beat S.E.M 91-85 in what was an ‘edge of your seat type stuff’ Basketball game. For Illawarra, they were thoroughly beaten by Perth, 87-70.

The Kings key Q from their 6-point win was the 1^st. Here they gained a bit of an advantage by winning 19-14. For the Hawks, the key Q for them was also the 1^st. There they went down 28-17 which gave the Wildcats a distinct advantage for the rest of the encounter.

Vasiljevic scored 19PTS for the Kings. While Hunter had 15 and Newley 11. Vasiljevic shot a great 3/5 from deep as some of his other stats included 4REB and 2AS. For Hunter, he shot a very efficient 75.0% from the floor, as he went 6/8. He also pulled in 4 boards and swatted away a shot. Newley just like Hunter, was super smart with his shot-selection as well, as he went 5/6. He also got 6REB, 1AS and 1ST. When you look at the Hawks key performers, Harvey scored 17PTS, while both Simon and White scored 9 each. Harvey also had 2REB, 1AS and 1ST. Simon had 7 boards, 3 dimes and a steal. And White shot a solid 3/5, as he also got 3REB and 2ST.

When Tyler Harvey last went to the cauldron that is Qudos Bank Arena, he killed it! The should-be-MVP shot 9/17 from the floor, as he had 25PTS. He also hit 5 shots from beyond the arc. Besides that, he also pulled in 4 boards among his other stats. The Kings as evidenced through their past couple of games are struggling defensively at the moment. Harvey is only going to add to their woes. And especially so if he can find his range from deep again in this one, which is Steph Curry range mind you! Then Sydney will be in for a long game. If he performs well, then Illawarra will be hard to beat in this should be keenly contested encounter.

Betting tips- Pick Sydney to win at $1.78 (bet365, UniBet)

Also pick them to win Q4 at $1.91 (UniBet)