The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 12 of the 2022/23 NBL season.
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Brisbane Bullets vs South East Melbourne PhoenixWednesday Dec 21, 7:30pm |
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The Bullets head into their clash against the Phoenix having missed all their possible ‘targets’ as of late. The latest of those being an embarrassing capitulation in Adelaide against the 36ers in which they went down by 31PTS! That was the punctuation mark of their current four game losing streak, whilst they’ve lost six of their last seven. For South East Melbourne however they have been ‘flying’ high, having triumphed in six of their last eight match-ups. And last round they produced one of the performances of the season as they prevailed in double overtime against the Kings, triumphing 113-112 thanks to a humungous 46PTS from none other then 3X All-NBL Second Team member Mitch Creek. This clash promises to be enticing as Brisbane really at this stage of the campaign have nothing to lose, meanwhile for the visitors a win would represent NO.12 of the season, while it would also see them go ahead of both New Zealand and Sydney respectively in that department.
What do Brisbane need to do for a victory? Despite what happened in South Australia there were still a few Bullets that come full-time could hold their heads high and one of those players was 2020 NBL Best Sixth Man Jason Cadee who lit up the floor for 18PTS on 7/12 shooting + 1REB, 2AST and 2STL. South East Melbourne have capable shooters placed all over the floor, in addition to being on their bench as well. So lights out shooters such as Cadee will need to start the match flaming hot in order to give his side a real shot of contesting this game. But the Man who has made just under 41% of all his attempted FG’s this season, in addition to 90.6% of his FTs is capable of doing just that. With Brisbane down a few players at the moment, look for the veteran to really fill that scoring void to the maximum.
What do South East Melbourne need to do to collect the dub? Just do what they’ve been doing all season long! I know, I know, I know, it’s a pretty boring and typical cliche, but it’s true! Mitch Creek, a bonafide MVP candidate, heads into this clash off the back of his MONSTER performance. Then there’s also Trey Kell II who shot 6/9 from inside the arc against the Kings, producing a fine 21PTS in the process. Their electric combination has had their rivals stifled all season long and will no doubt look to continue their rich form against a low-on-confidence Bullets team. Case in point, the last time these two teams met Creek collected 31PTS and 7REB in what was a tight 89-88 home win for his side.
This clash should be close throughout various stages, but ultimately I’ll back the Phoenix to run away with it at the end. Meanwhile Mitch Creek looks primed to explode once again, with the former NBAer murdering the rest of the NBL at the moment.
Betting tips: Look for the Phoenix to collect the win at $1.42 (Bet365)
Also back them to take out Q1 at $1.60 (Bet365)
Meanwhile for the opposition look for Nathan Sobey to score 10+ PTS at $1.18 and for the Phoenix’s Alan Williams to also score 10+ PTS at $1.11 (Bet365)
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Tasmania JackJumpers vs Illawarra HawksThursday Dec 22, 7:30pm |
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As has been the case for a while now the JackJumpers need to continue to ‘march’ their way up the ladder as nothing but a win will do here against the Hawks. Yet unfortunately for the pesky Hawks, their wings will probably be ‘clipped’ in this encounter. However giving Jacob Jackomas’s Men some hope of a revival here is the fact that ‘Tassie’ have lost their past three clashes at MyState Bank Arena and four of their last six overall. The latest of those was a tough nine-point defeat to Cairns. 17PTS from veteran Jack McVeigh wasn’t enough to see them through in the end. Meanwhile over in Victoria it was a similar story for Illawarra last round, as they were on the wrong end of an 88-77 defeat via Melbourne United. Michael Frazier II played his heart out with 27PTS, 3REB and 3AST, but just like their rivals, it wasn’t quite enough to collect what would’ve been dub NO.3 of the season. While the JackJumpers will deservedly start as favourites for this match-up, there is every chance in the world that the Hawks can ‘swoop’ in and steal this one from out and underneath them.
What do the JackJumpers need to do for a victory? The JackJumpers offence is far from lowly, just as it’s far from being spectacular, but placed against Illawarra it should probably be enough. So realistically speaking their defence is what will matter the most in this match. Despite their last match at home being a tough-to-swallow loss against the Taipans, they still kept the visitors to just 20PTS in the fourth quarter, their lowest quarter score of the entire encounter. While prior to that it was the massacre at Qudos Bank Arena, as they limited the reigning champions to just six, yes SIX Q4 points! And only 76 in total too! They know how to rough things up a bit on the less glamorous side of the court and against Illawarra they’ll certainly look to show what Scott Roth has instilled within them.
What do the Hawks need to do to collect the dub? Last time out against Melbourne, the Hawks were competitive for most of the match before they went down 88-77. Prior to that they suffered a seven-point loss to Sydney. And the clash before that was a very unlucky double OT 102-101 loss to Cairns, a game which saw Deng Deng do everything with 11PTS, 13REB, 6AST, 2STL and 1BLK. Ultimately with a bit more luck they could’ve won each and every one of those matches and with slightly better shot making they should at the least give Tasmania a real challenge here. It should also help aid the Hawks pursuit of a victory that the last time they versed ‘Tassie’, which was also in Tasmania, they triumphed 91-65! As they shot the home side to bits with some slick, highlight reel offense.
The Hawks present a legitimate threat, but at the end of it all I strongly expect the JackJumpers to take the cake. And look for Jack McVeigh to continue doing what he does best with the 26-year-old aiming BIG, BIG and BIG for another should-be monumental performance.
Betting tips: Look for ‘Tassie’ to win at $1.27 (UniBet)
Also look for Q4 to be all theirs at $1.63 (UniBet)
Meanwhile you can also look for the collective points scored in the match to be 165+ at $1.86 (BoomBet)