The following is a preview with betting tips for Game Four of the Grand Final series for the 2023/24 NBL season.
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Tasmania JackJumpers vs Melbourne United
Thursday March 28, 7:30pm |
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Does history get shattered or does Melbourne live to see another day?
Make no mistake, if the JackJumpers get the win at home in front of a sea of green, in an intimidating venue, packed to the rim with raucous Tasmanian’s, then they will undoubtedly becomes Australia’s most successful expansion club ever. No other franchise, nor Basketball, nor Footy, nor Cricket, nor nothing will be able to touch what Scott Roth’s men will have achieved. However they are faced against a serial-winning club and one that will be out for revenge following just their first fumble of consecutive defeats in 475 days. For the ‘Jackies’ they will leave everything out on the court and that was extremely evident in their last start Game Three victory when with just mere seconds left on the clock, Jack McVeigh hit a precise and insane three-pointer from almost half-court to deliver his side a truly memorable two-point win at John Cain Arena. However United’s backcourt duo of Matthew Dellavedova & Chris Goulding combined for 38PTS & 8AST as they attacked, attacked and attacked the visitors relentlessly. Everybody will be gunning for glory in this undoubtedly entertaining and heated affair as the NBL Grand Final series continues in style. We should be in for one hell of a matchup!
As Tasmania proved triumphant in Game Three they poured out onto the court as the buzzer sounded, as Jack McVeigh was swamped by his teammates. And as he spoke to the media following his shot, it was extremely evident as his voice quivered that he wanted to deliver the ‘Jackies’ a maiden chip. The finals MVP candidate had 18PTS, as he went 4/5 from deep + 12REB + 2AST + 1STL as he put in one hell of a performance away from home. That in an effort that also required a comeback effort from the JackJumpers, as they lost Q3 25-19, before coming back strong in the fourth, winning 31-22. Milton Doyle and Jordan Crawford also backed up the Man of the hour with 14PTS a piece. As Doyle also collected 4REB, 7AST, 3STL and 1BLK. Whilst off the bench Majok Deng was simply massive, as he procured 15PTS, double that of his season average of 7.5PPG, as he shot a tremendous 83.3% from the floor and also locked down 3REB and 1BLK, while Sean McDonald got 13PTS. And for United, outside of their fearsome backcourt duo, Luke Travers did everything going 6/8 shooting for 14PTS + 8REB + 3AST + 1STL + 4BLK. And Shea Ili was also commanding with 11PTS, 3REB, 1AST and 1STL to his name.
Jack McVeigh will have all eyes on him in this affair. He is a Man made for the big moments. You only have to go back to the winner take all Game Three of this seasons semi-final series between McVeigh’s ‘Jackies’ and the Wildcats, where McVeigh proceeded to pour in 27PTS as his side eliminated Perth with ease. And in his sides seeding win over the Hawks he had a double-double of 26PTS & 11REB. His ability to light it up from deep, as well as his ability to slash inside and pull up for a ‘Kobe-esque’ mid-range jumper and convert difficult layups means that Melbourne will once again have to be on full defensive alert. Placing the likes of ‘Delly’ and Shea Ili on him may help, but even they may find themselves in early foul trouble if he starts off the game on the right foot. If Tasmania win the Championship right here in this matchup then mark my words, McVeigh is getting that much coveted finals MVP award.
On 27/10/2023 Melbourne headed to MyState Bank Arena. In Q3 they were outstanding, winning 30-15! All it took them was one dominant quarter to win the game. As Q1 ended in a draw, the second United won by one-point and the fourth Tasmania prevailed in. That is just how good Melbourne can be. They can be trash everywhere else but as long as they are strong enough in spades, they’ll beat any side on their day. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 17PTS & 10REB + Luke Travers got himself 14PTS & 13REB. This sort of memorable, gritty effort will again be on display come Thursday night.
There’s no shame what so ever in losing to this Tasmania side. They fight a lot and they never give in. They also have a well-rounded team with some phenomenal names such as Milton Doyle and Will Magnay, two former NBA talents, as well as now McVeigh who is creating a storm down in Tasmania. However, Dean Vickerman will have prepared Melbourne for every possible outcome regarding this Grand Final series, with being 2-1 down and on the brink of elimination one of them. Expect United to shore up a lot more defensively, with their rotation being cut down a lot more as well. As good as guys such as Kyle Bowen and Tanner Krebs can be, unless fouls run riot I think they’ll be sitting down for the majority of this one. You can however look for Ian Clark, a renowned NBA/NBL championship winner to feature prominently off the bench and for Aerial Hukporti to get a fair go as well given some of United’s bigs struggles this series. That seven, maybe eight-Man rotation will be playing for their absolute lives here and I’d expect that to be shown off in a desperate Dean Vickerman-lead victory.
Betting tips: Look for Melbourne to win at $2.10 (bet365)
You can also back United to score 84+ PTS at $1.41 and for the JackJumpers to have 76PTS or under at $1.10 (bet365)
And look for Melbourne to also win Q1 at $1.91 (BlueBet)