The following is a preview with betting tips for the Grand Final Series Game One of the 2021/22 NBL season.
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Sydney Kings vs Tasmania JackJumpersFriday May 06, 7:30pm |
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The tantalisingly sheer brilliance and ferocity of ex-Buck, Blazer and Hawk turned NBL MVP and All-NBL First Team recipient Jaylen Adams has helped push Sydney all the way to just their second Grand Final Series in twelve seasons. As the electric and pacy 25-year-old PG put up 29PTS, 7REB, 3AST and 1STL in his sides most recent and decisive G2 win in Homebush over Illawarra, 99-87. Whilst prior to that, in his sides G1 triumph in Wollongong, 89-79, he conjured up a truly magical 30PTS, 6REB, 5AST and 1STL. He clipped the Hawks wings and as a result has put the Kings in contention for their fourth ever Championship.
For Tasmania, their season to date has been nothing short of a fairy tale. At the start of the campaign, pundits and fans alike wrote them off and predicted that they would finish last. However, Scott Roth and his crew had other ideas, as they pipped Perth for fourth spot, finishing the regular season with a simply phenomenal seventeen triumphs to their name. Then came the semi-finals and they did what they did best, using defence, defence and more defence to stifle Melbourne in what was an utterly defiant 2-1 series win. In what was an all-important G3 76-73 win at John Cain Arena, they edged out Q3 20-14, in a period that defined the outcome of the entire series. Josh Adams came up huge with 30PTS, whilst Jack McVeigh shot 6/11 from the floor, on his way to a sturdy 16PTS. And Josh Magette also highlighted why he was with the Orlando Magic under two years ago, as he put up 9PTS, 4REB, 7AST and 2STL. The ‘Jackies’ are far from done with yet, as they’ll continue to look to disrupt the status quo against the Kings.
Adams vs Magette! The League’s reigning Most Valuable Player up against his opposing PG who’s averaging 16.7PPG, 1.9APG and 3.2RPG on the season. Adams lit up the Hawks over their two-match series as he hit 8/16 threes. Whilst Magette had two steals in their latest three-point victory over United, while previously in his career he led the Dutch Basketball League in steals as well. The individual matchup between these two elite players will have a heavy say on the outcome of this affair, as Adams is far and away the offensive leader for Sydney. Meanwhile for Magette, he has such a well-balanced game (as does Adams), in which he can score the ball a bit + facilitate easy buckets too. These two serial winners seem all setup for a barnstorming G1 at Qudos Bank Arena.
On the less-than-pretty side of things there’s still the defence to be mentioned. Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin will no doubt take care of business on that end for the Kings. Especially so with Cooks having led the NBL in RPG this campaign with 9.9. An underrated player however who could do big things in this clash is Fabijan Krslovic. The former Taipan, now JackJumper, was the only big-man to start in Tasmania’s latest win over Melbourne, with the other four all being Guards, as the Sydney-born 26-year-old was left to do a lot of the grunt work. A hefty task which he succeeded magnificently at might I add. His stats included 6REB, 1STL and 0TOV. Given it’s a bit unclear as to whether or not he’ll start in this clash, expect him to make his presence felt in one way or another, even if he’s a spark plug being used off the bench. With all the stars aligning, both literally and figuratively, we could not possibly be in for a better clash of Basketball then that of what’s on offer right here!
Betting tips: Pick this affair to be a high-scoring one, with the total points going above 165.0 at $1.90 (Unibet)
In addition, pick H2 to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (bet365)
Whilst you can also look to the ‘Jackies’ to reach 77PTS + throughout the duration of the match at $1.20 (bet365)
Best bets of Game One: Expect the well-rested and at home Kings to claim G1 at $1.30 (Picklebet)
Also look for Sydney to reach over 20.5PTS during Q1 at $1.47 (bet365)
Whilst you can also back the Kings to reach 10PTS first at $1.62 (bet365)