The following are selected previews with betting tips for Round 14 of the 2021 NBL season.
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Wednesday, April 14
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Cairns Taipans vs Adelaide 36ersCairns Pop Up Arena 7:30pm AEDT |
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Cairns latest clash saw them go down in the tightest of affairs 82-80 to the Hawks in Wollongong. This marked their extremely unfortunate 17th loss of the season from 22 appearances and sees them sitting in dead-last position. While for the 36ers they claimed what was their 9th win of the season in an upset 83-68 win over Perth at home.
Cam Oliver put on a show for the Taipans as he scored 27PTS shooting 50% from the floor. He also had 12REB, 5AS, 1ST and 1BL. Tad Dufelmeier was also strong coming off the bench as he had 12PTS on 4/6 shooting. He also got 2REB, 1AS and 3ST. And linking back to the starters, Jarrod Kenny had 9PTS as he converted 75.0% of his shots inside the 3-point line. His other stats included 2REB, 3AS and 1ST.
For Adelaide Daniel Johnson was huge both literally and figuratively scoring 28PTS on 11/14 shooting. He also had 8REB and 2AS to his name. Brandon Paul was also incredibly commanding as he shot 50% from the floor for 20PTS as a starter. He also had 2REB, 2AS and 1ST. Josh Giddey also shot 4/8 as he produced 13PTS and additionally had 6REB, 12AS and 1ST.
Adelaide’s season is all but a lost cause now. So that means it’s all about Giddey from here on out! With a lot of reports pinning him as the best international prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft it’s incredibly important that he continues to boost his stock with Adelaide so that he can go as high as possible. He just came up with 13PTS and 12AS. Before that it was 13PTS and 8AS. Then the match before that was 15 and 7. Prior to that 14 and 13. And the list just goes on and on. Coming up against the lacklustre Taipans, let’s see what he does!
Betting tips: Pick Adelaide to win at $2.19 (Sportsbet)
Also pick the 36ers to win the 1st half at odds of $2.01 or more
Thursday, April 15
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Sydney Kings vs South East Melbourne PhoenixQudos Bank Arena 7:30pm AEDT |
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The Kings finals hopes took a massive dent during their 98-84 loss to the Phoenix at home. They are now in 6th spot with a 10-12 record and with Dejan Vasiljevic now out for the season with an incredibly unlucky injury, things don’t look to be getting much better for the Sydneysiders at the moment. While for the Phoenix the strong 14-point win has left them nicely in 3rd spot. They have a 13-9 record and are also just two games back off the 2nd placed Wildcats.
Starting with the home sides best performers, Casper Ware was strong as he scored 20PTS, with six of those coming from a pair of 3-pointers. He also pulled in 2 boards. And his game paired nicely with that of Jarell Martin who banged away inside for 23PTS on 60.0% shooting. He also got 7REB and 1AS. Jordan Hunter was also quite effective as he scored 11PTS from 5/8 shooting. He also had 9 boards to his name.
For the away side Mitch Creek was insane off the bench with 26PTS on 50.0% shooting. He also had 5REB, 1AS and 1ST. As for the starters, Ben Moore had 20PTS on 9/12 shooting from the court. He also had 6REB, 2AS and 2ST. And Yannick Weztell did alright too with 11PTS which came from 5/7 shooting. He also got 3REB, 3AS and 1BL.
If the Kings lose here then their finals hopes are over. It’s now all but do or die for them. There’s always a tinge of desperation surrounding sides in these sorts of scenarios. And considering they were the 2nd best team in the country last season it’s been an extremely disappointing fall from grace for the ‘Violet Crumbles’. Ware needs to do more to get his teammates involved and he needs to shoot more efficiently. Whilst his backup PG Shaun Bruce simply needs to do better off the bench. And veterans such as Brad Newley and Daniel Kickert need to start contributing a lot more here as well. What do the Kings got?
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to win at $2.04 (Sportsbet)
Also pick the Kings to have a handicap of +1.5 at $1.90 (Sportsbet)
Friday, April 16
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New Zealand Breakers vs Brisbane BulletsSilverdome 7:30pm AEDT |
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It’s been a rough season for the Breakers so far as they sit in 8th spot with a 5-13 record. But they’ve tried to do their fans back home proud and they should be! They’ve had some amazing moments here and there and it’s difficult to imagine what they’ve gone through being away from family and friends and their homes for so long. Credit to them! And at the John Cain Arena recently they came oh so close as they lost 84-78 to Melbourne. For the Bullets they are now just two wins off a finals spot and things were kept close in their 98-89 defeat to Melbourne. Also played at the John Cain Arena.
Finn Delany lit up the floor as he scored 33PTS on 12/18 shooting. He also got 5REB, 3AS and 1ST. C. Webster also went alright with 13PTS. He also had 3REB, 2AS and 1ST. And off the pine Levi Randolph made his voice heard with an influential 11PTS. He also had 1REB and 1ST next to his name on the stats sheet.
For Brisbane Nathan Sobey scored 30PTS, Harry Froling 15PTS and Michael Hodgson 13PTS. Sobey also went 6/9 from deep! As he additionally got 6REB and 1AS. Froling shot 4/7 as his other stats included 4REB, 3AS and 1ST. And then Hodgson shot 75.0%, also pulling in 8 boards and dishing out 1 dime.
Just like how I talked about the Kings previously, the Bullets also need a win here big-time. They’re a bit short of the Hawks at the moment but with the inconsistency that seems to have plagued the Illawarra side throughout various bits and pieces of this campaign, there’s no reason Brisbane can’t claim 4th place just like they did two seasons ago. Brisbane work best as a team when Sobey’s handling the ball and calling the shots. So, look for him to be a MASSIVE factor in this one.
Betting tips: Pick the Breakers to prevail at $1.70 (bet365)
Also pick them to be the first to 10+ points at odds of $1.80 or more when they become available.