The following are previews with betting tips for Round 12 of the 2019/20 NBL season.
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Friday, December 20
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New Zealand Breakers v S.E. Melbourne Phoenix5:30pm AEDT |
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Last Round- The Breakers are currently 8th with a record of 4W’s and 10L’s. They were sunk last time out as Jerome Randle hit them up for the game winning three-pointer in the 99-96 defeat. Q1 was the key one for them as they went down 35-23. Their top three performers were Abercrombie, Henry and Loe. Abercrombie had 22PTS, 9REB, 1AST and 3STL. Henry had 20PTS, 3AST and 1STL as he went 4/5 from beyond the arc. Loe scored 13PTS, had 7REB, 2AST, 2STL and 1BL.
SEM are currently 5th and occupy a 7-7 record. Their last game saw them prevail in OT against Cairns, as they were victorious 112-105. The key quarter for them was in OT when they outscored the Taipans by seven points, 17-10. Their top three performers were Roberson, Creek and Gibson. Roberson had 32PTS, 2REB, 4AST and 1STL. Creek had 25PTS, 9REB, 3AST, 3STL and 1BL. And Gibson of the bench had 25PTS, 3REB, 5AST and 1STL.
What Should Happen- A SEM victory. The Breakers are struggling and seem destined to finish the season in a bottom three position. If it’s not rumors of Hampton leaving the team to prepare for the draft, it’s Rice JR getting the sack for being a di*k head. Or one player causing some disruption on a team plane. Injuries haven’t helped either. Hospon’s been affected. As have guys like RJ and Webster. And with SEM fighting tooth and nail for a maiden finals berth, I thoroughly expect them to be to good and to strong for NZ in this one.
Betting tip: Pick SEM to win at $2.05 (Bet365)
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Adelaide 36ers v Illawarra Hawks8pm AEDT |
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Last Round- ‘Handle’ Randle was an absolute menace as with a defender in his face, he hit the game winning shot against a stunned breakers side as the game clock was winding down. Randle hit 12/19 shots in the three-point, 99-96 win. He ended up with 29PTS, 1REB, 4AST and 1STL. Their key quarter from that game was the 1st, they won 35-23. That victory was their 2nd for the weekend and leaves them in 4th spot currently. They posses an eight wins and seven defeats record. The 36ers other key performers from this one included Johnson who had 26PTS, 6REB, 2AST and 1STL. And Griffin as well, he had 14PTS, 8REB, 1AST, 3STL and 1BL.
Illawarra were blown out by Melbourne in the final match of last round as they lost 94-73, losing by 21 big points. The Hawks are currently dead last and they have just three W’s so far this campaign. Q’s 3&4 were bad for them, as they lost them 26-16 and 29-17 respectively. Naar scored 16 points, Glover 15 and Ogilvy 13 as they led the Hawks. Naar also had 4REB, 5AST and 2STL. Glover also had 3REB and 1AST. Ogilvy’s other stats included 7REB and 3AST as he hit a perfect 4/4 FT’s.
What Should Happen- A 36ers victory. Why you ask? Good question indeed. Illawarra showed that they were as vulnerable as ever last round as they were demolished by a shaky Melbourne side. Outside of that Jerome ‘Handle’ Randle is the answer to your question as he proved to be absolutely clutch last round. Whether Adelaide win big or win small, he’ll be the 36ers answer to anything and everything that they throw against the Hawks. Expect him to be big in an ADL win.
Betting tip: Pick Adelaide to win at $1.30 (SportsBet)
Saturday, December 21
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Brisbane Bullets v Sydney Kings5:30pm AEDT |
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Last Round- Brisbane played valiantly, but it was no avail as they lost to Perth 86-78 last round. As it stands Brisbane have 9LS and 6WS so far in their up and down campaign. They are 7th as a result. Q2 they drew at 20 points all. Sobey, Patterson and Cadee tried to lead the way for the struggling Bullets team. Sobey had 15PTS, 3REB and 3AST. Patterson ended up with 14PTS, 8REB and 2AST. Cadee had 10PTS, 2REB and 4AST. He hit two threes of the pine. Braun shot a poor 3/10 and Singler 2/9 from the court.
Sydney rebounded from their first back-to-back losses in a big way in their last game as they smashed Melbourne 104-81. What a win from the aspiring-to-be-champs. They won every quarter bar the 3rd, which was still a 23-23 draw. Both Bruce and Kickert scored 11 each of the bench for Sydney. Ware had 28 against his former side, Didi had 14 and Tate 13. Bruce also had 1REB, 4AST and a BL. Kickert also had 8REB, 1AST and 3BL. Ware was on fire as he had 5 3’s to go along with 3REB and 3AST. The Kings are currently 1st and so far have 12 wins from 15 match’s played so far.
What Should Happen- A Kings win. The Bullets are terrible. And the Kings on the other hand are a legitimate championship contender. Brisbane are cooked this season. And with a terrible interior defence manned by no one of note, the Kings should have an absolute field day close to the basket. Bogut, Bruce, Cooks, Hunter, Kickert, Lisch, Moller, Newley, Tate, Taylor, Walker and Ware are all shooting 50% or better from inside the arc this season. Oh boy, the Bullets are gonna have their hands full in this one.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to win at $1.37 (SportsBet)
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Perth Wildcats v Melbourne United |
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Last Round- Perth are a strong 2nd, this comes after their eight point, 76-68 victory over Brisbane last round. They currently have 12 wins and just 5 losses so far for this season. Their 3rd quarter 22-18 win was a key for them in this match. Steindl (14PTS) and Wagstaff (10PTS) both scored in double-figures of the bench. Cotton had 23PTS, 1REB and 3STL. White had 19PTS, 7REB, 2AST and 1STL. Kay had 18PTS, 7REB and 1AST.
Before United’s smashing 21 point win over the Hawks last round, they lost by 23 points to the Kings in Melbourne. They went down 104-81 as they were humiliated on their home floor. Melbourne are currently 3rd and have won nine match’s and lost seven this season. They’ve been inconsistent to say the least. Trimble had 19PTS, 5AST and 1STL. Long had 18PTS, 3REB, 1AST, 1STL and 1BL. Prather had 10PTS and 3REB. Prather shot 2/2 from the FT line. Both Goulding and Barlow also scored nine points each.
What Should Happen- A Perth victory. They beat them in last seasons Grand Final series and they’ve brought that dominance over into this season as well. They beat them 94-93 in their opening match of the season. And they beat them by two, just three games later. They know how to beat MEL. And MEL are in a very vulnerable place after their demolition job at the hands of the Kings. Cotton & White! Cotton & White! Cotton & White! Expect them to be key in a commanding Perth win.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to win at $1.64 (SportsBet)
Sunday, December 22
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Illawarra Hawks v New Zealand Breakers3pm AEDT |
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Last Round- The Hawks only match of the round saw them lose 94-73 to Melbourne. They lost Q1 by a point and won Q2 by two. However in the 2nd half they were blown out by the more talented and stronger side. They lost q’s 3&4 by a combined 22 points. Not having the injured LaMelo Ball really hurt them in this one. Blanchfield had 9PTS to go along with 1STL. Although he shot a horrific 2/12 from the court. Boone had 7PTS and 7REB as he shot a much better 3/4. Hobson had 3PTS, 7REB, 5AST and 2ST. Preston had 4PTS, 4REB and 1ST. The Hawks are 9th (so last) and have 11 losses this season from 14 games played.
The Breakers are currently 2nd last and have won just 4/14 match’s so far this campaign. They lost 99-96 to Adelaide after Randle hit the game winning shot close to the buzzer. Man cooked them up on their home-court in NZ. The Breakers won Q3, 24-17. They did enough to win this game, but in the end, they well, they didn’t. Hopson had 12PTS, Weeks 12PTS and Delany 10PTS. Hopson also had 6AST and 1BL. Weeks also had 5REB, 1AST and 1STL. Delany also had 3REB and 4AST. There was no Hampton or Webster in this match for the Breakers.
What Should Happen- I mean you have to pick someone here right? The match can’t just end in a draw. I’ll give the Breakers the win despite the various problems they’re facing at the moment. Ball is out. Brooks is out. Hobson is still getting adjusted to the Hawks system. Preston is still getting adjusted to the Hawks system. The Breakers have enough talent still playing on the floor to beat Illawarra here. But to be honest, if the Hawks somehow claim a win, don’t be all that surprised. It’ll be a close one.
Betting tip: Pick NZ to win at $1.90 (BetEasy)
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Cairns Taipans v Adelaide 36ers |
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Last Round- The Taipans are currently 6th and are just one win of a finals spot. They have seven wins and nine losses so far this season. Last game they unfortunately went down to SEM 112-105 in OT. It was a heart breaker for Cairns fans all round and for the actual squad itself as well. Them losing 17-10 in the OT period is what killed them. Newbill had 30PTS, 3REB, 3AST, 1STL and 1BL. Oliver had 23PTS, 13REB and 2BL. Machado had 18PTS, 1REB, 6AST and 2STL. Jawai had 10PTS, while Kenny scored six of the pine. Deng also got 1STL and 2BL of the bench.
Adelaide beat NZ 99-96 last round and before that it was an amazing 113-111 victory over SEM. They won this match as they hit some late FT’s to clinch it. They went a perfect 2/2 this round. Them winning Q3 35-28 was a key to the W for them. Randle scored 26PTS, Griffin scored 20PTS, Froling scored 19PTS, Drmic scored 12PTS and both Johnson and Teys had 11 each. Randle also got 4REB and 8AST. Grffin also got 10REB and 1AST. Froling also got 5REB and 2AST. The 36ers now occupy a finals spot. They’ve won eight and lost seven so far this season.
What Should Happen- Machado vs Randle. Both Guards are playing for teams that had low expectations coming into the season and they both have low budgets compared to the bigger sides in the NBL. Yet both sides are far exceeding the initial expectations set for them as they fight for the 4th seed and the right to face the Kings in Week One of the finals. Machado is averaging 15.9PPG and 8.5APG. Randle is averaging 19.9PPG and 4.3APG. Expect this battle between the two elite players to have a massive impact on the outcome of the game.
Betting tip: Pick the 36ers to win at $2.35 (BetEasy)
Monday, December 23
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Sydney Kings v S.E. Melbourne Phoenix7:30pm AEDT |
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Last Round- Last round Sydney beat Melbourne 104-81 in the BIG, BIG win for the NBL ladder leaders. They started of the intensity the right way as they won Q1 31-18. Didi had 14PTS, 4REB, 2AST and 1STL. Tate had 13PTS, 12REB, 3AST and 2STL. Bogut had 7PTS and 3AST as he went 3/4 from the court. On his debut for the Kings, Xavier Cooks ended up with 2PTS, 5REB, 2AST and 1BL. Sydney currently occupy 1st spot on the ladder, And their 1320 points conceded is 2nd best in the NBL, fair props to them for the awesome defence.
SEM are 7 & 7 this season. They’ve scored 1394 points. And they’ve conceded 1382 points so far. Their opening game of the round was a tight and tense 113-111 two-point defeat at the hands of the 36ers. Losing the 3rd quarter 35-28 was a big blow for them in the context of the game. Had they held on a lil bit stronger in the 3rd period, then who knows what could’ve happened? Creek had 27PTS, 11REB, 4AST, 1STL and 1BL. Roberson had 22PTS and 4AST. Madgen had 11PTS, 3REB, 2AST and 1STL.
What Should Happen- A Kings win. SYD are back in form via their last round thrashing of MEL. And expect them to roll onto the next MEL team with relative ease and little trouble. Cooks should perform better of the bench with more Kings game-time currently under his belt. And Taylor will be a fair match as a back-up PG to SEM man and former King Adnam. These two players will have a good impact of the bench for SYD. And Ware + Tate can easily outscore/out-beat Creek + Roberson.
Betting tip: Pick the Kings to win at $1.36 (Bet365, UniBet)
Best Bet of the Round
Pick Perth to win at $1.64 (SportsBet) vs Melbourne