The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 6 of the 2024/25 NBL season.
Compare bookmaker NBL odds
View the NBL form guide
 |
Perth Wildcats vs Sydney KingsFriday October 25, 9:30pm |
 |
We all know that Perth and Sydney have an extremely contentious history against one another. Its a rivalry that in recent times has witnessed MVP accredited PGs Bryce Cotton and Jaylen Adams go head-to-head. It saw the Wildcats claim a controversial Grand Final series win after the majority of it was wiped out due to COVID. And literally just one month ago the Kings edged their hosts out by a single point, an affair in which the Wildcats raced back into it only to fall just short. As they triumphed in Q4 29-21. These two rivals, despite their stadium locations being 3,923kms away from each other by driving, absolutely, unequivocally deplore one another. As mentioned before we’ve already seen them fight tooth and nail to the wire once already this campaign, what will this deadly second matchup bring?
Perth’s latest result – Perth 85 vs New Zealand 89 @ Spark Arena – Standout performer was Tai Webster on 54.5% shooting for 20PTS, 6REB, 6AST and 1STL.
Sydney’s latest result – Sydney 80 vs Tasmania 71 @ Silverdome – Standout performer was Xavier Cooks with 15PTS (5/7 FTS), 12REB, 6AST and 2BLK.
No Bryce Cotton for an extended period of time due to a rip injury sustained against the Breakers will hurt Perth here, there’s no two ways about it! Taking an 18.3PPG scorer out of any Basketball team in the entire world will undoubtedly have a major impact on you. He is their best player (far and away), their top scorer, an influential leader on and off the court and the list goes on and on and on. As a result of this Jesse Wagstaff was recently questioned by the media and his response was that Perth have a deep team and some other players will step up in his absence. As true as that statement from the veteran Forward may be, Cotton has terrorised the Kings for years now and without the dual-MVP in tow Sydney can breathe a lot easier. Even with somebody like Michael Harris potentially stepping into the role for the time being, an ex-Premier League Grand Final MVP, it just won’t be enough to bridge the gap. Even if you factor in improved performances from other players within the roster. Look for Sydney to take this extremely tough affair out with the victory.
Betting tips: Back a Sydney Kings victory at $1.40 (BetFair)
Also pick the Kings to win Q1 at $1.57 (Bet365)
And pick the hosts to score 75 + PTS at $1.15 and for the Kings to reach 85 + at $1.30 (Bet365)
 |
Brisbane Bullets vs Tasmania JackJumpersSaturday October 26, 8:00pm |
 |
After losing their opening three matches of the season Brisbane have seemingly turned a corner as of late via them winning their latest two affairs in a row. They have come in the form of a home 84-73 win against the Breakers and an away 87-85 victory against the Phoenix. Meanwhile during the pre-season the Bullets won six of their seven friendlies which suggests maybe all they needed to be successful this season was time. However a third straight dub will be far from easy against the wounded defending champions as they continue to punch far above their weight class with all of the absences they have. The ‘Jackies’ have fought incredibly valiantly over the course of their last two matches, losing to Adelaide by just four points last time out and to Sydney by only nine prior to that. Versus the 36ers former NBL Champion and ex-New Orleans Pelican Will Magnay was good with 11PTS, 6REB, 2STL and 2BLK on 5/7 shooting from the floor. However he needs to be just a little bit better in order to help back up Milton Doyle more, who ended the clash with 22PTS. Magnay is that 2nd option for Tasmania at the moment. Can he get it done in the interior against the Bullets or will Brisbane reign supreme?
Brisbane’s latest result – Brisbane 84 vs New Zealand 73 @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Standout performer was James Batemon, 8/14 shooting for 21PTS, 5REB, 1AST, 1STL and 1BLK.
Tasmania’s latest result – Tasmania 73 vs Adelaide 77 @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre – Standout performer was Milton Doyle with 22PTS on 5/10 shooting from deep + 7REB + 6AST + 1STL.
Whilst Will Magnay will be a HUMUNGOUS PIECE to the puzzle in this matchup for Tasmania, both from a scoring and a physicality perspective, that guy for the Bullets right here is none other then Josh Bannan. Despite shooting a woeful 3/15 against the Breakers last round he still converted 8/8 FTs and ended the affair with 15PTS overall. That was in addition to his 9REB and 3AST. This season he is shooting just 12.5% from deep, whereas last season he was making them at a far better clip of 33.3%. Bannan is a far better player then that of what his recent stats suggest and will be working rigorously hard to get back to his former playing self asap. With Brisbane having a strange mix of players being put together on the roster, anybody has a legitimate chance to stand out provided they put in the work. In addition Tasmania’s defence has also been questionable at the best of times lately. Eg they are only three games removed from conceding 109PTS vs Illawarra + 12 threes. So there is no good reason that the former First Team All-Big Sky member can’t cause some damage in a potential Brisbane win here.
Betting tips: Pick a tightly contested Brisbane win to be the end result at $1.59 (BetFair)
Also pick Brisbane to score 23+ PTS in Q1 at $1.90 and for Tasmania to score 21 or less PTS at $1.85 (Bet365)
And also back the Bullets to be the team with the highest scoring quarter at $1.83 (Bet365)