The following are selected previews with betting tips for Round 17 of the 2021 NBL season.
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Saturday, May 8
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Cairns Taipans vs Brisbane BulletsCairns Pop Up Arena 8:00pm AEDT |
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Nine points was the amount that Cairns put up in Q1 during their latest outing against the 36ers in Adelaide. They would end up getting crushed by 16 points, 92-76, in what was a truly damaging loss for them. This was their seventh defeat of the year from 27 appearances, and they appear to have well and truly … and unfortunately claimed the Wooden Spoon for this season.
While for the Bullets their finals hopes took a dive as they also went down to Adelaide in Adelaide to the tune of a 101-79 score line. This was not the same Brisbane that had won at the John Cain Arena earlier in the round 94-82 vs S.E.M. They now sit three wins behind the 4th placed Phoenix in what is well and truly a race against the clock for them in a somewhat hopeless attempt to play Finals Basketball.
During the Taipans heavy loss it was Deng and Dufelmeier who starred with 16 and 9PTS respectively. While starting, Ngatai posted 12PTS. Deng hit a pair of threes, as he also roped in 5REB and 1BL. Dufelmeier was also hot from deep going 2/2, as he additionally had 4REB and 2AS. And Ngatai shot 66.7% from the floor as he also had a board and a steal to his name.
In Brisbane’s win Patterson and Sobey were electric with 27 and 20PTS. However, during their loss it was a whole different story as the team struggled massively cohesively and this has only been compounded by the recent news that Andrej Lemanis will depart as head coach at the end of the season. Sobey again put up 20 and Hodgson 19PTS, but outside of those two it was pretty bleak. Sobey also had 6REB, 8AS and 3ST. While for Hodgson he got 9REB and 1ST.
To put it simply this is a must win Derby match for Brisbane, their finals hopes are in the balance right now and a loss will do irreputable damage to them. During their defeat against Adelaide, Hodgson shot 9/13. He was the only one of the five starters to shoot above 50%. Wigness was 28.6%, Drmic was 42.9%, Patterson was 25% and Sobey was 41.2%. And off the bench it was a similarly shocking story with Cadee shooting 1/8 and Froling shooting 4/12. It’s clear that of all the issues they need to fix for this game, their shooting ability is the most crucial and the most critical one to address. Sobey and Patterson are both superstars within their own rights, so if they step up to the plate and do what needs to be done then hopefully their teammates should follow suit, if not however then they could be in for a long, arduous evening.
Betting tips: Pick Brisbane to win at $1.68 (bet365)
Also pick them to win Q1 at odds of $1.50 or more when they become available.
Sunday, May 9
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Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ersQudos Bank Arena 3:00pm AEDT |
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The Kings fought hard in Victoria but eventually it was to no avail as Melbourne won their 11th match in a row, smashing the visitors 103-78. The Kings actually won Q1 31-20, but the 4th was incredibly costly. This as they went down 33-13 in a decisive period that absolutely blew their chances of winning the clash! Ware was the star as the former 76er showed out against his former side. Despite Wares heroics however the damaging loss has left them precariously close to falling out of the Top Four, as they now sit just a single win above the 5th placed Hawks.
As for the 36ers they had a completely different round to that of their rivals as they won both their games at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. First, they beat Brisbane 101-79, then they put the scorchers on Cairns, as they won 92-76. Johnson had 26PTS against the Bullets and then 15PTS and 10REB vs Cairns with the double-double. The veteran was incredibly influential in both matches and now his side are just two crucial wins off 4th spot as a result of all that.
Outside of Ware, Kickert produced a big 13PTS off the bench as he shot 5/7. He also pulled in 3 boards. And of the starters another former United man in the form of Moller came up pretty big as well with 12PTS, 11REB and 3AS as he stood up well for his injury ravaged side. And Bruce shot 57.1% from the floor en route to 10PTS as he also started. He also had 1 board, 5 dimes and a swat.
Against the Bullets some of Adelaide’s other stars included Giddey with his second consecutive triple double as he posted 15PTS, 11REB and 13AS. The Aussie-born PG recently declared for next years NBA Draft and it’s amazingly easy to see why! Both Dech and Humphries also had 13PTS each and Paul 11. While Pinder was huge off the pine with 19PTS, 7REB, 2AS, 1ST and 1BL.
And then vs the Taipans Paul came up with 18PTS, 10REB, 5AS and 3ST. Giddey also had 15PTS as he went 6/11 from the floor. As well as that he had 2REB, 6AS and 1BL. And off the bench Crocker also shot 6/11 for 15PTS. He also pulled in 4 boards and dished out 1 dime.
It was announced today that Jarrad Weeks has joined the Kings as an injury replacement player. The former King and NZNBL Champion is only 31 years of age and is a quality veteran PG. He will add an interesting and perhaps spicy element to this clash in terms of seeing what he’s able to bring for Sydney.
If Ware plays how he did against United, against the 36ers, then the Kings should be in for an easy win at home. They’ve beaten much tougher sides this season and despite Adelaide’s hot form at the moment, they should be fodder for last seasons Grand Finalists. Coach Adam Forde will have to be ready for whatever Adelaide throws at them, i.e. as an example Pinder’s insane performance last time out, but if he’s prepared, then the Kings will be prepared, and that’s that.
Betting tips: Pick the Kings to be victorious at odds of $1.48 (bet365) and to win Q1 at odds of $1.39 or more when they become available.
Other betting tips: Pick Melbourne to beat the Phoenix at $1.48 (bet365)
And pick Perth to beat the Breakers at $1.38 (bet365)
While finally pick them to also cover the handicap of -5.5 at $1.82 (bet365)