The following are previews with betting tips for Round 3 of the 2018/19 NBL season.
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Thursday, October 25
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Brisbane Bullets v Perth Wildcats7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up:Â Brisbane suffered a 15 point loss to Perth in their last match. The first quarter set the tone for the game as they were outscored 28-19. Then by the end of the second quarter the game was practically over with no hope of a revive as Perth won that period 19-13. Only two players reached double-digit points for Brisbane, they were Cameron Gliddon (13) and Te Rangi (11). Gliddon also had eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. As for Te Rangi his other stats included four boards and one dime. He also shot a horrific 3/14 from the court. While marquee name Alonzo Gee, a former NBA veteran, put on a horror show as well going only 3/10 from the court. Adam Gibson also went a poor 2/7 of the bench.
For Perth their last game was against the Bullets as they prevailed 88-73. They won the third quarter 20-18 and the fourth quarter was the only one they dropped as they went down 23-21 for that specific period. Bryce Cotton lit them up for 28 points, Kay was strong with 16 while Martin had 12. Cotton also had three boards and four dimes. Kay was impressive as he pulled in 10 rebounds and had an assist also. Martin was able to do a bit of everything as he had one rebound, five assists, three steals and one block. Coming of the bench, both Norton and Wagstaff had five points each.
What should happen:Â Similar to the last game between these two sides, a Perth victory. Through three games so far this season Perth already have the best defence in the NBL having given up only 225 points at an average of 75 per game. That while Brisbane currently have the second worst attack in the League. Combined with this only two Bullets players shot above 50% from the court against Perth. These two factors, combined with the quickly growing and deadly scoring punch of Cotton and Kay means that Perth will continue their so far undefeated season against Brisbane.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to be victorious at $1.53 (BetFair)
Friday, October 26
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Cairns Taipans v Adelaide 36ers7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up:Â Cairns went down to the Hawks 104-93 in their last game. They started of things right by winning the first quarter 28-27 and the second one was a draw at 20-all. However the second-half is where it was lost for the Taipans as in the third quarter they lost 21-16 and in the fourth they went down 36-29. Melo was the standout performer for the Taipans as he led the way with 28 points, two rebounds, five assists and one steal. DJ Newbill was also very impressive as his stats read 22 points, five rebounds, seven assists and a steal and a block each. Big man Nate Jawai scored eight, pulled in four boards and got a dime. Coming of the pine, Loe scored nine points and Young seven.
Nor Sobey or Deleon could push the game into extra-time for the 36ers as their late missed three-point attempts saw them suffer an agonizingly close 75-72 defeat to Melbourne. The 36ers won the first quarter and started of on the right foot, but they then proceeded to lose the other remaining three periods. Quarters three and four were especially tough for them as they scored only 15 and 13 points during each one respectively. Sobey led the way for Adelaide with 19 points, he also had six boards, six dimes and two steals. Wiley had a nice 13 points and eight rebounds. That while Johnson scored 12, got five rebounds, two assists and a block. Drmic also scored 11 and of the bench Deng had five.
What should happen:Â Steph and Klay come to play. Wait what, they don’t play in the NBL you say? Well DJ and Melo may as well be called Curry and Thompson with the way they’ve been balling out for Cairns this season. Combined this campaign they’ve been averaging a lit 49.0ppg, 11.0rpg, 10.0apg, 3.0spg and 1.5bpg. They’ll have their finger prints all over this game. And when it’s close, expect them to rise in the clutch and get it done for the surprisingly good Taipans. It’s as simple as that.
Betting tip: Pick Cairns to be victorious at $2.26 (Sportsbet)
Saturday, October 27
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Perth Wildcats v Melbourne United2:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up:Â Perth have been the NBL’s standout side so far as they have a 3-0 record. Their games have gone as follows, beaten last years runner ups, won a game by 40 points and kept Brisbane to a simply shocking shooting night. Not bad at all! And while Cotton was always expected to channel his inner Kyrie, some surprising faces have been a part of Perth’s success as well. Kay is the main one among them as the off-season signing from Illawarra has been showing out with 16.0ppg on a crazy 65.0% shooting from the court. He’s also getting 7.3rpg, 2.7apg and 1.0spg. While Martin is contributing to Perth’s offensive flow by ceding touches to players such as Cotton and Kay as he has averages of 5.3apg and 2.3spg. It’s all been coming together for Perth this season and it’s simply been awesome to watch.
For Melbourne they got it done in an enthralling 75-72 victory against Adelaide. It wasn’t easy but good defence to stop some late Adelaide three-point attempts got the job done for United. They lost the first quarter scoring only 15 points, but they won all the others. They scored a massive 29 in the second, while they kept the 36ers to only 15 and 13 points in the third and fourth quarters respectively. Casper Ware went 2/12, while Goulding was 2/9. A poor performance from the normally reliable back-court duo. More positively both Barlow and Boone scored 15 points each, while Kennedy had 14 of the bench. Boone also pulled in a crazy 16 boards, got three dimes and had three blocks. Barlow also did nicely with six rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
What should happen:Â A close game. Both of these sides are the envy of the rest of the League. Perth haven’t lost a game yet and United are the reigning Champs. This match has the potential to be one of the games of the season if it all plays out right. As well as being a close one, it should also be one hell of an entertaining one. You have the Point Guard battle with two electric former NBA men going at it in Cotton vs Ware. Then you also have White coming up against Goulding. Two SG’s who both struggled last time out and will be looking to redeem themselves. This one is not to be missed, that’s for sure.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to be victorious at $1.78 (Sportsbet, Palmerbet)
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Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up:Â The Hawks got it done posting an eleven point win over the Melo led Taipans in a good quality game of Basketball. The Hawks were down by a point entering the third quarter, but that is really where they turned on the jets as they won the thid 21-16. And then in the fourth and final quarter they absolutely balled out scoring 36 points which massively contributed to the double-digit point win. Blanchfield hit 11/18 shots as he lit them up for 32 points. He also had six boards, two dimes, a massive four steals and one block. Jett also scored 22, had two rebounds, six assists and four steals. Conklin was again strong with 21, six and four, while Jackson scored 12. Of the bench Coenraad scored six.
While Brisbane this season so far have a 1-2 record. Not all bad, but I think they’d prefer it to be reversed. They opened their season as well as the NBL’s one with a strong 13 point victory over the Breakers. Then they got thrashed by Cairns 88-70. And most recently they lost by 15 to Perth. It’s been a mixed bag for them so far. However it’s some new faces that have so far largely disappointed for them. Jason Cadee was meant to give the Bullets more offense, but to put it lightly he’s been crap averaging only 6.0ppg on 27.0% shooting and from three he’s been worse with 21% shooting. Alonzo Gee, another new face and an ex-NBA player, among his former sides being Cleveland. He’s getting only 9.0ppg from 31% shooting. Maybe it has to get worse before it gets better for Brisbane?
What should happen:Â With the exception of their shocking loss to Perth, this campaign the Hawks have actually been a legitimately good side. We all saw how difficult and pesky they were for Melbourne to handle and last seasons Champions seriously struggled to beat them. They are proving that maybe, just maybe, that they can be successful without Conger after all. Expect the revolution to continue with a victory against the Bullets. Expect Jett to bag up his 22 point performance with another big game. And in the process being ably backed up by both Conklin and Blanchfield (the poster-boy for the word underrated).
Betting tip: Pick the Hawks to be victorious at $1.60 (Ladbrokes)
Sunday, October 28
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New Zealand Breakers v Adelaide 36ers12:00pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up:Â New Zealand’s last game saw them suffer a 23 point loss to the Sydney Kings at home. New Zealand weren’t so electric in this game. The Breakers were outscored by eleven points in Q1. They were also outscored by eleven points in Q4. And those first and last periods is where the game was lost for them and won for the Kings. For the Breakers Wesley went 50% 8/16 as he scored 22 points. He also had three rebounds, two assists and a steal and a block each. Long scored 17 as he also hit half of his attempted shots as he also had 10 boards, one dimes and one steal and one block each. Abercrombie had two steals while Webster was disappointing as he shot a dismal 2/11 from the field. The star against Phoenix having some rough goings this season to date. And of the pine Richard scored seven and Weeks six.
For the 36ers so far this campaign they have been pretty damn good as they have a 2-2 record with both over their victories coming over early season Championship favourites the Kings. They’ve proven they can win both at home as well as on the road. They have four players averaging double-digit points this season in the form of Sobey 19.5, Johnson 19.3, Wiley 11.8 and Deleon 10.0. They’re showing that they are determined to make another run at it this season and rightfully so. They have a talented squad that if everything breaks right, they could achieve big things this season.
What should happen:Â A strong 36ers victory. The Breakers looked pretty miserable against the Kings and don’t expect them to be too happy against Adelaide, a side that have already consigned the Kings to two defeats this campaign. With the double-punch duo of Sobey and Johnson in tow, provided they are firing, the Breakers simply don’t have the fire power to match their scoring ability. Especially so considering the Breakers have been nothing special this season offensively.
Betting tip: Pick Adelaide to be victorious at $2.45 (Bet365)
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Sydney Kings v Cairns Taipans2:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up:Â For Sydney the posted a 101-78, 23 point victory over the Breakers. Q1 saw the Kings win 29-18. Then Q2 saw the opposition just edge them out 22-19. Q3 saw the Kings come back out on top 22-18. Then Q4 sealed the emphatic win as the Kings outscored NZ 31-20 during that period of play. Lisch scored 19, Randle, Wear and Adnam had 15 points a piece. That while Bogut scored 13.
Lisch also had three boards, a dime and a steal. Randle got himself three rebounds, four assists and a steal. Wear also had two boards and a dime. And Adnam of the bench was strong with six assists next to his name. Bogut did his thing hitting 5/8 shot attempts to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and four huge swats.
Both Newley and Pineau were relatively quiet with two points each. While Bowen of the bench again showed what he was capable of posting 11 points to go along with six boards and two dimes. While he also hit a three-point attempt.
What should happen: What’s not to love about this match-up. You have in the backcourt Randle & Lisch vs Newbill and Trimble. Then as well as that you have two former NBA men going at it in the C’s in the form of Andrew Bogut and Nate Jawai. A fun and entertaining game of Basketball is what should happen. The Kings have been a quality side to watch all season despite their two losses and Cairns have been one of the most surprisingly good teams to emerge from the NBL so far. It’s all coming together for what should be a great game of Basketball.
Betting tip: Pick the Kings to be victorious at $1.40 (Ladbrokes)
Monday, October 29
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Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks7:30pm AEDT |
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Pre-game lead-up: On one side you have last seasons champions and a side looking to go back to back. On the other you have a side that have surprised many and are a potential under dog to make the finals. This game should be an absolute cracker and it was this very season that these two sides played out an absolute thriller that lasted an insane four overtimes. Melbourne eventually prevailed 123-122. Melbourne recorded 26 assists that game and Illawarra 20. While fouls were obviously high as each side conceded 26 each. This was just simply one hell of a game to remember and it entered OT courtesy of each side scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter.
For United Boone scored 24, Goulding 23, Kennedy 21, Ware 15, McCarron 13 and Barlow 11. And for the Hawks they were led in the scoring department by Blanchfield with 26, Conklin 17, Jett 16, Ogilvy 15, Coenraad 15 and Andersen 11. Ware had seven assists and Barlow six. While Barlow also had 10 boards, Boone 13 and Kennedy nine. Back to the Hawks again and Blanchfield, Jackson and Jett each dished out four dimes. While Ogilvy pulled in a huge 21 rebounds! Both Blanchfield and Conklin had seven. And of the bench Coenraad had eight.
What should happen:Â A Hawks victory. Here’s where they show their fighting spirit and get the result they should have gotten in their last game against Melbourne. They were very unlucky to lose that, but don’t expect it to roll on into this game. The Hawks have some momentum going via their convincing win against Cairns. Expect a team effort to show several players reaching double-digit points and high rebound amounts for Illawarra as they claim the W.
Betting tip: Pick the Hawks to be victorious at $3.54 (Sportsbet)
Best Bet of the Round
My favourite/best bet of the round is for Sydney to beat Cairns at Qudos at $1.40 (Ladbrokes)
     They have momentum going after thrashing New Zealand