The following are previews with betting tips for Round 2 of the 2019/20 NBL season.
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Friday, October 11
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Brisbane Bullets v Cairns Taipans7:30pm AEDT |
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Brisbane managed to beat the Hawks in Woolongong last time out by nine points, 90-81. The Bullets were dominant in all four quarters. In Q1 they beat the Hawks 27-26. Q2 saw it be a 21-all tie. Q3 Brisbane turned it on to score 22 points and keep Illawarra to only 14. The 4th was again a tie at 20-20. LaMelo Ball may have managed a double-double on his Hawks debut, 12 points, 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the home side to snatch a decisive victory. Patterson scored a hugeee 25 points for Brisbane. While he was backed up by Sobey who scored 17. Hodgson had 14 and Gliddon 10. And of the pine, Cadee had 12 points. Patterson also had eight boards, four dimes and two steals. Sobey’s other stats included four rebounds, two assists and a swat. Hodgson managed five boards, a dime, a steal and three blocks as he did a lil bit of everything. Gliddon came close to a double-double as he pulled in nine boards amongst his other stats. And Cadee was like a diamond as he hit 3/4 from beyond the arc. Brisbane are making it known early that they want to be a part of the finals conversation.
For Cairns they were oh so, so, so close in their eight point, 79-71 defeat to Sydney. They nearly stole the unlikeliest of wins from the star-studded team. But when it counted the most, they weren’t able to get it done. The Taipans won the first quarter convincingly, 20-13. They were just edged out in the second, 24-21. They came back and won the third, 22-20. But the fourth is where the Kings just pulled away as they only kept Cairns to eight points and scored 22 themselves during the process. Ware lit them up for 23 points, but Cairns also had some key contributors of their own. Machado and Oliver had 13 points a piece. Both Newbill and Jawai had 10. While Koi lead the way with 14. Koi was outstanding as he also collected 12 rebounds. Machado had three rebounds, six assists and two steals. Oliver shot 5/7 from two as he got four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Jawai also pulled in six boards but shot a poor 0/4 FT’s. Cairns are an obviously improved unit from last year and will bring the fight to Brisbane.
Betting tip: Pick Brisbane to win at $1.36 (Bet365)
Also pick Brisbane -7.0 handicap at $1.98 (UniBet)
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Perth Wildcats v Illawarra Hawks9:30pm AEDT |
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Terrico White hit the dagger and the match-winning three last game to beat Melbourne 94-93 in what was a start to finish affair that produced plenty of highlights along the way. In typical Wildcats fashion, they found a way and a will to win. Perth lost Q1, 28-27. They also lost Q2, 26-21. In the 3rd, they won by two, 22-20. And in the 4th, they claimed the slightest of victories, 24-19. Cotton had 21 points, White 20 and Kay 18 as Perth’s Big 3 stood up large and big for them. Cotton also had three rebounds, four assists and a steal next to his name. Was it White or Thompson? Who knows, because the man hit five from deep. He also had one board, three dimes and two steals. Kay had eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Martin shot a poor 1/7, Norton went 1/6 and Wagstaff went 2/6. Cotton vs Ball will prove to be a key battle in this game. How the seasoned veteran and young rookie play against one another will go a long, long way to deciding the result of the game.
LaMelo Ball, Big Baller, Lonzo’s younger bro, a future NBA star, whatever you want to call him, he absolutely erupted in his first official NBL game. The player who many predict to be the NO.1 overall pick in next years draft went of for 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block! What a way to announce yourself on the big stage! Unfortunately for him though, they did go down 90-81 to Brisbane. The Hawks lost Q1 by a point. Q2 was a 21-21 tie. Q3 saw them lose by eight points in a decisive period of the game. Q4 was then again a tie at 20 points each. Good first up effort from the home side, but not quite good enough. Aaron Brooks also had 23 points, three boards, three dimes and a steal and a block each. Ogilvy scored 13 and Blanchfield 10. This was a balanced effort from Illiwarra. If they keep on playing like this then they will be able to do some real damage this season.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to win at $1.42 (Bet365)
Also pick Perth -5.5 handicap at $1.91 (Bet365)
Saturday, October 12
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Sydney Kings v Adelaide 36ers5:30pm AEDT |
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Jerome ‘Handle’ Randle is back in the NBL. Not only is he back in the NBL but he’s returned to where he won an MVP award with the 36ers. And he’ll be facing of against his team from last season in the form of the Kings. Nobody knew if he left the Kings because of money issues, potential injury, whether Sydney management didn’t think he could lead the kings to a title. Whatever the reason/s were, he’s back and will want to prove a point against his old side. He recently put up 18 points against the Utah Jazz, so he’s never one afraid to make a statement on the court. And he did a huge array of simply amazing moves that would’ve made any player around the world proud. Expect him to out-duel his replacement at the Kings, Casper Ware. And expect him to have a big, big, big game against his former side that he led to the finals just one season ago. Handle Randle is back, LETS GOOO!
Sydney only just escaped Cairns with a tight and not very convincing eight point win over the Taipans. Sydney lost Q1 20-13 and they also lost Q3, 22-20. In the 2nd, the Kings just prevailed, 24-21. And in the 4th they turned on the motors to blow Cairns away. They were victorious in the 4th, 22 points to eight. Their star power really showed right there. Ware scored 23 points and Lisch had 18. Tate scored 14 and Newley also had 10. Ware also had two boards, five dimes and a steal next to his name. Lisch in his vintage performance was on fire as he hit three from beyond the arc to go along with two rebounds, one assist and a steal. Last campaigns MVP Bogut shot disappointingly, but he pulled in a strong 12 boards. Coming of the bench, Bruce had five points and two steals. Also coming of the bench, Kickert shot a poor 0/4. If the Kings played the way they played against Cairns vs Adelaide, then they will lose. Will Weaver’s men need to turn it around and quickly.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to win at $1.38 (Bet365, BlueBet, UniBet)
Also pick -6.0 Sydney handicap at $1.98 (UniBet)
Sunday, October 13
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S.E. Melbourne Phoenix v Brisbane Bullets |
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SEM got it done in their first ever Derby against Melbourne as they were victorious 91-88. They got outscored in Q1, 22-21. However, they came back strong in Q2 to win 28-21. They also won Q3, 20-17. And despite losing Q4, 28-22, they stayed strong for the tight and tense three point win. Creek had a massive 38 points! Roberson also had 20 and Adnam 11. Creek hit four threes in his simply awesome effort as he also had 11 boards, three dimes and a block. Roberson had a rebound and an assist also. Adnam had two boards, two dimes and a steal. Madgen came close to a double-double as he tallied nine points and eight rebounds amongst his other stats. Pineau also had eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. This was a nice first-up effort from SEM and one that will be remembered for seasons and for years to come. None of Acouth, Armstrong or Hickey saw the floor for SEM during this match for one reason or another.
The battle of the Guards in the form of Adnam vs Cadee will be critical for this game. But teams posses good depth and it will be difficult to separate the starters (offensively and defensively wise). Adnam’s ability to slash to the inside and Cadee’s hot ability to do it from outside may well prove to be the difference in this encounter. Adnam had 11 last game and Cadee 12. They both lead their teams of the benches and sometimes have a tendency to play either hot or cold and can be rather inconsistent. Only one team can win this game. And these two players will prove to be a lot more crucial to the puzzle then you would think.
Betting tip: Pick SEM to be victorious at $2.05 (Bet365)
Also pick +1 SEM handicap at $1.95 (UniBet)
Monday, October 14
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Illawarra Hawks v Cairns Taipans7:30pm AEDT |
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This will prove to be both teams second match this round and as a result physicality and fatigue could play a massive part in how the match plays out.
Andersen vs Jawai. The two main big men of the bench for either side. Andersen had four points for the Hawks vs Brisbane. He shot a perfect 2/2. He also had an assist to his name. Meanwhile the big Jawai scored 10 against the Kings. These players are seasoned veterans and know what it takes to win. They might not get as many minutes as that of what they would like, but they still compete hard and try to show out when they are on the court. More then anything though, their biggest asset is their leadership qualities now a days. In what should be a close game. What those guys say to their two teams, will count just as much as the baskets being scored on the court.
Both teams were fairly average last season. Neither has the salary cap of a Sydney or a Melbourne so that’s to be expected. However, LaMelo Ball and former NBA Guard Aaron Brooks are now a part of the Hawks setup. And for Cairns, they proved that they’re not gonna be messed around with this season as they pushed the Kings all the way in a single digit loss. In a way, these two teams are what the NBL is all about. Unlike their rival counterparts in the form of the AFL and NRL, the NBL has teams from small and obscure parts of Australia. They include everybody and these two teams represent that. These two teams are the battlers sides that have worked they way up and fought hard to be in the competition. So for that aspect alone, this game will be worth watching. And Brooks vs Newbill, well that’s an interesting/key individual battle isn’t it?!
Betting tip: Pick the Hawks to win at $1.38 (Bet365)
Also pick them to have a -6.5 handicap at $1.90 (UniBet)
Best Bet of the Round
Pick Sydney to win at $1.38 (Bet365, BlueBet, UniBet)
Also pick -6.0 Sydney handicap at $1.98 (UniBet)