The following are selected previews with betting tips for Round 16 of the 2021 NBL season.
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Wednesday, April 28
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Melbourne United vs New Zealand BreakersJohn Cain Arena 7:30pm AEDT |
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With a 19-5 record this campaign Melbourne are top dogs for a reason. They play a relentless style of Basketball and go all-in attack wise which rival teams struggle to comprehend and stop. Their game plan was again perfectly highlighted this past round as they beat Adelaide 92-74. While for NZ they showed their loyal supporters that there is some light at the end of the tunnel as they moved a win ahead of last place winning against Adelaide as well 93-77. Whilst prior to that game (but also within the same round) they lost by just a single basket to Cairns, 70-68.
There were multiple United players who tormented the 36ers. McCarron put up 21PTS, Landale 19PTS, Goulding 13PTS, Peatling 11PTS and off the bench Lual-Acuil 13PTS. McCarron shot 7/10 as he also had 2REB, 5AS and 5ST. Landale shot 6/11 as his other stats included 10REB, 3AS, 1ST and 2BL. And Goulding hit a pair of triples as he got 1REB, 3AS and 1ST.
For NZ their guys that helped really contribute to the thrashing were Delany with 23PTS, Abercrombie – 19PTS, Randolph – 15PTS, Iverson – 10PTS and coming off the pine C. Webster with 15PTS. Delany shot 70% from the floor as he also got 2REB, 4AS and 1ST. Abercrombie hit two from beyond the arc as he had 2REB and 1AS. And Randolph shot 55.6% inside the 3-point line to go along with 6REB, 3AS and 2ST.
Melbourne is the best team in the league and are stacked at most positions while the Breakers find themselves in fights most week just hustling to get the win or to keep it close. Encounters between these two sides always seem to throw most experts opinions into the trash and throw up an entirely different clash/outcome. NZ should keep it close but United will get the victory here.
Betting tips: Pick Melbourne to win at $1.23 (bet365)
Also pick them to win Q1 at $1.48 (bet365)
And pick the game total to be over 160 points at $1.65
Thursday, April 29
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South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Brisbane BulletsJohn Cain Arena 7:30pm AEDT |
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S.E.M currently sit in 4th on the ladder with a 14-12 record. The Kings above them in 3rd also have the exact same record. But the Phoenix need to be worried about the Hawks in 5th who are just two wins behind them. Beating Cairns by 20 points recently helped alleviate some of that pressure. But just four days before that they also went down by 20 to the Kings which helped them into the position that they find themselves in now. As for Brisbane there’s a slim chance they could play finals Basketball. They’re in 6th with a 10-13 record. Their last clash was a heavy 92-74 loss to Perth.
In S.E.M’s big victory Gliddon led the way with 22PTS. While Te Rangi had 13PTS, Adnam 12PTS and Creek 11PTS. Gliddon shot an electric 4/8 from deep as he also had 7REB, 1AS and 2ST. Te Rangi shot 2/3 from deep as his other stats included 2REB, 1AS and 2BL. And Adnam hit a pair of threes as he got 4REB and 2AS.
Froling led the way with 20PTS off the bench for the Bullets. That while Patterson had 19PTS, Sobey 14PTS and Drmic 11PTS. Froling shot 8/14 as he also got 3REB and 1AS. Patterson shot 6/7 FTs as he had 10REB, 2AS and 2ST. And Sobey made all 3 of his FTs to go along with 7REB and 5AS.
When these two sides last met it was a real stoush as the Phoenix eventually prevailed by 16 points in Victoria, but it was by no means an easy clash! For the losers Sobey and Hodgson combined for 36PTS, 15REB, 6AS, 1ST and 2BL. And given some of S.E.M’s struggles recently if the two former Gold Medal Australian winners and 36ers can play now how they did back then, then they will give their side a real chance of causing an upset victory here. That deadly one-two punch duo is the Bullets greatest chance of salvaging something from this matchup.
Betting tips: Pick Brisbane to win at $3.25 (Sportsbet)
Also pick them to win Q1 at $2.45 (Unibet)
And pick the game total to be over 175.50 points at $1.56
Saturday, May 1
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New Zealand Breakers vs Perth WildcatsSilverdome 5:30pm AEDT |
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Alabama-born SG/SF and former French Cup winner Levi Randolph has been a sensation for the Breakers since he recently joined the club. Last time out vs Adelaide some of his stats included 15PTS and 6REB. While two games before that against Perth he registered 23PTS and 4REB. And the match before that it was 20PTS against Brisbane. He’s helped contribute strongly to NZ’s late season surge and he’ll be great for the club once he gets a full pre-season under his belt with them in preparation for the next campaign. Coming up against another star G in the form of Bryce Cotton, it’s guaranteed to be one hell of a battle! Watch for Randolph to ball out here!
Speaking of Cotton in Perth’s most recent 18-point win against Brisbane he was up to his usual tricks with 21PTS, 4REB, 6AS and 1ST. Prior to that, he had an almost double-double with 12PTS and 9 dimes vs NZ. Then before that he put up 18PTS vs the Hawks and prior to that one he exploded for 34PTS vs NZ again. He simply cannot be stopped and the Breakers will be forced to throw a lot of different bodies on him in order to figure out how to best stop him. However, with him showing the slightest possible signs of slowing down a bit lately, if they can figure him out early on then we could have a real tussle on our hands.
Ultimately, this game shouldn’t be a thrashing … but I wouldn’t predict it to be incredibly close either. In reality it should be somewhere along the middle line. The Breakers aren’t a bad team but Perth are just miles and miles ahead of them and have so much more to play for this season. The Wildcats should eventually take this one out in what will no doubt prove to be an entertaining encounter.
Betting tips: Pick the Wildcats to be victorious at $1.50 (Sportsbet)
Also pick them to win H1 at $1.54
And pick the game total to be over 162.50 points at $1.90 (Sportsbet)