The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 8 of the 2022/23 NBL season.
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Cairns Taipans vs New Zealand BreakersFriday Nov 25, 7:30pm |
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There’s no better way to spend your Friday evening then by tuning into the 3rd-placed Taipans hosting the 2nd-placed Breakers, in what is simply put a battle of two legit Championship contenders. For Adam Forde’s troops, they’ve prevailed in six of their last nine clashes, including a most recent 90-82 ‘Sunshine Stoush’ win over Brisbane. While for the visitors they too have hit a rich vein of form recently, winning eight of their last 10 matches. The latest of which was a hard fought but well-deserved 89-83 victory over Adelaide. And regardless of who comes out on top in this encounter, it’s guaranteed to be one of the best of the season to date.
In Cairns’s eight-point dub at the Nissan Arena it was Keanu Pinder who put on a show with 25PTS, 8REB, 4AST, 2STL and 1BLK. While DJ Hogg wasn’t far behind with 20PTS, 8REB, 4AST, 2STL and 3BLK. Meanwhile Sam Waardenburg also chipped in with 14PTS, Bul Kuol 12PTS and Shannon Scott also registered a handy 10AST throughout his teams phenomenal effort.
While for New Zealand at the Silverdome they witnessed a well-balanced effort all round as Derek Pardon locked down 19PTS, 10REB and 1BLK. And outside of him there was also Izayah Le’Afa with 17PTS, 1REB, 5AST and 1STL. Jamal Brantley also had himself a game with 12PTS, 8REB and 2STL. Meanwhile coming off the bench Barry Brown Jr did his thing with 12PTS on 53.8% shooting from the floor.
Last season the Taipans finished 9th with just nine wins, and the Breakers were in 10th with only five victories. Now thanks to Adam Forde and Mody Maor, the head coaches of the two teams respectively are firing on all cylinders. Whilst the on-field play during this match should be scintillating, the battle between the two Men on the sidelines could be what decides the outcome of the match. They’ve both implemented massively important defensive tactics into their squads this season and evidently it’s paid off handsomely. Defence is the name of the game here and will be critical in helping to decide the eventual winner.
Betting tips: Back New Zealand to get the job done at $1.95 (TexBet)
Also look for them to prevail in Q1 at $1.97 (UniBet)
And back Keanu Pinder to score 18+PTS at $1.80 and Jamal Brantley 14+PTS at $1.95 (Bet365)
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Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpersSaturday Nov 26, 8:00pm |
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Melbourne have won just five of their 12 contested games this season. However Tasmania are only doing slightly better with a 5-6 record. This match in-turn presents itself as a brilliant opportunity for either side to help propel themselves up the ladder. As for United they’re well accustomed to playing Finals Basketball, while the ‘Jackies’ are still yet to reach their meteoric heights of last season. However with Rayjon Tucker having exploded for 22PTS last time out, including three threes and Josh Magette having gone hard at the rim for nine converted FT’s and 16PTS overall, the battle of the two illusive Guards should at least keep this matchup somewhat interesting.
Poor shooting spearheaded Melbourne’s disappointing 15-point defeat to South East Melbourne last time out at the John Cain Arena. This as they shot just 25/64 overall (39%), including 6/21 from three (29%). In particular the main culprits were Dave Barlow, Lachlan Barker and David Okwera who all went 0 from 3 out on the court. Whilst all of Mason Peatling, Makuach Maluach and Marcus Lee went 0/2. And there’s no particular guarantee that it’ll get better versus Scott Roth’s Men either.
As for the previously mentioned Scott Roth’s Men, they saw themselves lose a tight battle against the Breakers, 84-76, at the Silverdome. Q4 is what cost them in the end as they were overrun to the tune of a 26-15 scoreline. Rashard Kelly was big off the pine though, shooting 7/13 en route to 17PTS + 8REB, 1AST and 2STL. While Josh Magette also had 16PTS as previously talked about, alongside his 3REB, 1AST and 1STL. And Jack McVeigh also put in a good shift with 11PTS, 5REB and 1AST. Aiming for a Top Four spot, they should really come out gunning against Melbourne, with all guns blazing.
Both United and the JackJumpers are mostly all bark and no bite this season. That needs to change ASAP if either side want any hope of playing Basketball later on into the season. On the sidelines Dean Vickerman and Scott Roth are as vocal as they’ve ever been, but it’s clearly not getting through to their respective players. This is where the more experienced vets need to standup and do something about their sides form. Because if you want to stop the slump, then you’ve got to break the hump. And some good, early shooting from either or both sides should help do exactly that.
Betting tips: Look for ‘Tassie’ to claim a tight win at $2.10 (Bet365)
And look for the hosts to score 73+PTS at $1.14 and for Tasmania to fashion 73+PTS too at $1.18 (Bet365)
While you can also back both teams to score 18+PTS a piece in Q1 at $1.55 (Bet365)