The following are previews with betting tips for Round 5 of the 2017/18 NBL season.
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Thursday, November 2
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New Zealand Breakers v Adelaide 36ers5:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: This campaign the Breakers are shooting a relatively poor 67% on free throw attempts. However their opponents, the 36ers are shooting a much better 78%.
Pre-Game Lead-Up: For New Zealand their last clash was a tight and tense 101-96 victory over Brisbane. It was the Breakers fourth win from five games this season and as a result put them into equal first spot alongside Perth. Edgar Sosa was the leading, scoring starter with 19pts, as well as this he also had 2reb, 5ast and 1stl. While off the bench, Shea Ili had quite an impact with 23pts, 2reb, 2ast and 1stl. For the 36ers last round they faced off against the Taipans and only won by four points in an 84-80 scoreline. Like their opposition it was also their fourth victory of the season and leaves them currently in outright 3rd place on the competition ladder. Making his return to the NBL, Josh Childress started of with a solid stat line of 6pts, 4reb and 2ast in only just under 16 minutes of play. Such are the two teams dominance so far this season is that they have more combined victories than Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Illawarra combined. This should prove to be a close, end to end affair.
Key Player: Daniel Johnson. Last round he scored 20 points while having an impressive 53.8fg%. He’s also averaging nearly 17 points per game on the season. The 4x All-NBL Team player will be crucial for Adelaide if they wish to beat the opposition team. Both teams this season have proven that they are capable of putting up big numbers in the score-line. If he’s of his game and doesn’t put up his regular numbers it could be enough for New Zealand to steal a victory from out and under Adelaide’s noses.
Betting tip: Pick Adelaide to win at $2.02 (BlueBet)
However despite this pick the Breakers to have the hotter start and be the first to 10 points at $1.90 (William Hill)
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Melbourne United v Cairns Taipans7:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: Melbourne are shooting a very good 40% from behind the arc this season. They’re led by Kyle Adnam who has shot 10 of 16 this season from the three point line (63%). While Cairns are shooting only 32%. Their three point leader is Mitch McCarron who has converted 8 of 19 (42%).
Pre-Game Lead-Up: Two points is all that separated Melbourne from Brisbane as they went down 87-85 in their last clash. For United the first and third quarters of the game are what really lost it for them, as they scored only 15 and 13 points respectively during those periods. More poor shooting from Casper Ware really hampered them as the ex-NBA player scored only five points during 33 minutes of play. He shot a very poor 2 of 8 on the night. However in a positive for Melbourne, Josh Boone was a monster on the boards grabbing 14 rebounds. For the Taipans they endured a tight 84-80 loss to the 36ers. Their 11 point effort in the third quarter is essentially what cost them the game. A poor shooting effort from McCarron and Jarrad Weeks saw the pair shoot a ghastly 5 of 17 from the field. Their are some certain players from either side this game wanting badly to redeem themselves. Will Ware go back to shooting lights out or will it be the Taipans players slithering through the Melbourne defence?
Key Player: Chris Goulding. Last round against Brisbane he couldn’t quite come up with the miracle shot to deliver his side the win. However he is a clutch player and how he performs late in the game will strongly dictate whether Melbourne get the victory or not. He’s averaging a very disappointing 10 points per game this season. You should expect him to rise to the big occasion with his side already lagging behind a bit in the race for a finals spot. He should finally show us the form we all expect of him.
Betting tip: Pick the third quarter to be the highest scoring period of the match at $4.50 (William Hill)
Pick Melbourne to be the first to 10 points at $1.65 (William Hill)
Friday, November 3
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Brisbane Bullets v Illawarra Hawks7:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: The Bullets are averaging a combined 8.6 steals/ blocks per game. While their opponents in the Hawks, are averaging an even better combined 10.8 steals/ blocks per game.
Pre-Game Lead-Up: With just under two minutes left in the match, Daniel Kickert would make the layup that would eventually decide the result for Brisbane. That made shot put them on 87 points, they would eventually beat Melbourne 87-85. Tom Jervis and the man of the hour Kickert, combined for a nice 10 rebounds to greatly help out the Bullets. For Illawarra they tried their hearts out in their game against the Kings, but couldn’t quite get it done as they lost in OT, 99-94. Rotnei Clarke and Andrew Ogilvy had a fine shooting night for the home team combining for 43 points and going 16 of 29 from the field. However Illawarra weren’t able to stop Jason Cadee getting hot from deep as he shot 4 of 7 from behind the arc. Had they contained him better maybe they would have won only their second game of the new season. On the bright side for these teams, one will finally land another victory in what has been a pretty dismal campaign for both sides.
Key Player: Demitrius Conger. Over his last three appearances for the Hawks he has grabbed 20 boards. Illawarra can sometimes struggle to put points up so he will be crucial in giving them second chance opportunities. But also on the defensive end the Bullets have a swag of players that can easily put up points at any given moment. He will also be important their in denying them a second chance to shoot. How he plays in pulling down the boards will play a major part in dictating the flow of the game.
Betting tip:Â Pick the Hawks to claim only their second win of the season at $2.35 (CrownBet, LadBrokes)
Also pick the highest scoring quarter of the game to be the first at $2.75 (William Hill)
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Perth Wildcats v Sydney Kings9:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: Jason Cadee and Perry Ellis have combined to shoot 23 of 44 from the three point line this season. While Sydney also have five players averaging double figures in points per game. They are both Cadee and Ellis, as well as Travis Leslie, Brad Newley and the currently injured Kevin Lisch.
Pre-Game Lead-Up: 31 points is the margin that Perth defeated the Hawks by in their last encounter. After quarter one it was already over as they led by 16. They scored 105 points and in the process taught the bottom placed Hawks how to properly play Basketball. Bryce Cotton and Jean-Pierre Tokoto combined for a massive 47 points. While five different players grabbed five rebounds and a further two, 4. It was a very impressive all-round effort from the Wildcats. While Sydney claimed only their second win of the season again against the struggling Hawks. They won in OT, 99-94 and Jason Cadee was on fire. He scored 21 points and shot a extremely efficient 4 of 7 from three point land. He also dished out 8 assists. While he combined with Todd Blanchfield for a massive 7 steals. If the Kings can play the way they did against the Hawks, they’ll have a slim chance of beating the reigning champions of the NBL.
Key Player: None other than Jason Cadee. The current Australian representative player will again have to be on point if his team are to be any chance of beating Perth. Perth score points with ridiculous ease meaning if the Kings want the win, they’ll have to match them in that department. After his latest showing, it will be up to Cadee to lead the charge and help keep the Kings offense afloat and match it with the champs.
Betting tip:Â Pick the Kings to cause a massive upset and win at $6.10 (PalmerBet)
Go a little bit deeper and also pick them to win by 1-10 at $4.50 (LadBrokes)
Saturday, November 4
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Melbourne United v Adelaide 36ers5:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: At this point in time Adelaide are in third position and on a two match winning streak. While their opponents, Melbourne are more down in the dumps. They are on a three match losing streak and currently sit equal third last.
Pre-Game Lead-Up: It was a 9 point improvement on their effort against the Breakers, but it still wasn’t enough as Melbourne went down by 2 points to the Bullets in a very tight match. While for Adelaide, they just scraped past against Cairns winning 84-80. Off the court for United, their head coach Dean Vickerman was quoted as saying he hopes his team gets out of “cruise control”. His men have been struggling lately on the court and their coaches strong use of words will hopefully have an effect on them and cause them to play better than they currently are. For the 36ers, Shannon Shorter has called their attack, “freelance offence” and said that they’re really playing like a team. Adelaide’s outfit are one of the best at scoring points in the competition and will no doubt hope that continues against Melbourne.
Key Player: Everyone who steps out onto the hardwood for Melbourne. United at the start of the year were really hyped up as a Championship winning favourite. So far that has proven to be only talk and no show. They have lost their past three matches in a row and are really struggling quite a bit. They should have beaten Brisbane, but instead they ended up losing. It will take a team effort to rectify it against Adelaide, not just one or two players.
Betting tip: Pick Melbourne to win by 1-10 points at $2.65 (CrownBet)
Also pick the third quarter to be the highest scoring at $4.50 (William Hill)
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Cairns Taipans v New Zealand Breakers7:30pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: The Taipans leading rebounder this campaign is Michael Carrera with 4.5 per game. For the Breakers it is Robert Loe with 6.0 per game. Will their specialist skills come in handy against the opposition or will they be more of an afterthought?
Pre-Game Lead-Up:Â Cam Gliddon and Mitch McCarron a little over a week ago were named in the Boomers sqaud to play two World Cup qualification games next month. While this doesn’t directly relate to how they play in the NBL for Cairns it does highlight the quality of the squad and show how they can be a dangerous force this season. Gliddon is averaging just under 10 points per game and is having a very solid season while Carrera is averaging 17.0 points per game and is a lethal scorer. The Breakers have had 11 of their players named in the initial 23 man All-Blacks squad. Like it does for Cairns, it truly shows what a dominant force the Breakers are and how their squad is filled to the brim with quality players. With all these NBL players getting selected to international teams, its only good news for the league in general.
Key Player: Mika Vukona. He will be one of several key players for the Breakers in this game but his rebounding ability is what makes him stand out. He’s grabbing 5.6 boards per game and that will be crucial in helping his side gain the victory. Cairns will put up points through their various offensive threats, how well Vukona rebounds it will limit their second chances. Meanwhile he also has to be their to provide support in reining in missed shots for his teammates. If New Zealand want to win this then rebounding will be key, but Vukona will play a big role within that.
Betting tip: Pick the first period to be the highest scoring of the match at $2.75 (William Hill)
Pick Cairns to claim yet another victory on the season at $1.71 (PalmerBet)
Sunday, November 5
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Sydney Kings v Illawarra Hawks3:00pm AEDT |
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Notable Stat: Sydney are scoring a very high 90 points per game. While their rivals are only putting up a little less in 85.2 per game. However scoring isn’t everything as these two teams have combined for a measly three wins this campaign from 12 attempts.
Pre-Game Lead-Up: “We’re feeling the pain” said Andrew Gaze. That being a recent quote from the second year coach in response to Sydney’s so far dismal campaign. Brad Newley has also said their is a weakness to the Kings small ball lineup. Along with the on court issues that were addressed, Gaze also talked about the issues of the field but dismissed the claim that their was anybody on the roster he didn’t want. However when this type of stuff comes up to begin with, you know the teams season is in the dumps. But the Kings bounced back in an OT thriller against the Hawks and will be hoping to make it three of three against them this season. They are also the only team the Kings have beaten this season. Provided they beat the Wildcats, then they win this one, it’d be their third consecutive victory, but that is a big if for the Sydney based side. The Kings can push all the critics aside, but they have to keep on winning Basketball games.
Key Player: The key player for the Kings this season would’ve been Kevin Lisch. A player who has absolutely bested the NBL in his previous seasons. But with him out for the forseeable future due to an unfortunate injury, everyone has to step up on the Kings roster, everybody. Cadee, Leslie and Newley have to continue putting the ball through the hoop while everyone else has to play their part and keep the Kings going, no matter how bad or stressful it may get for them at times, such as it has this campaign.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to win at $1.85 (PalmerBet, UniBet)
Pick the third quarter to be the highest scoring at $4.50 (William Hill)
Best Bet of the Round
Pick the second quarter between the Wildcats and Kings to be the highest scoring at $4.00 (William Hill)