The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 2 of the 2023/24 NBL season.
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Tasmania JackJumpers vs Sydney KingsFriday October 06, 7:30pm |
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As of lately the JackJumpers and Kings have been undeniably inseparable from one another with their last four H2Hs having been split right down the middle at two victories a piece. And as the two rivals ever colliding stories tell, there have been some BIG, BIG moments captured within their short, yet explosive history versus one another. Who can forget DJ Vasiljevic’s humungous game winning three in Sydney’s famous playoffs win, or Josh Adam’s constant scoring heroics in that exact same series. Now with Tasmania headed into this affair off the back of a tight away loss to Perth by just six-points and the Kings cruising into it with an away 15-point triumph over the Hawks, who will come out on top? And who will continue to re-write the history books? Maybe it’ll be veteran Jack McVeigh who shot a very respectable 4/10 from deep last round for the hosts, or perhaps returning and former NBL MVP Jaylen Adams will steal the show. Regardless there is absolutely everything to play for right here!
To Tasmania’s credit they fought incredibly valiantly all the way through in their last-start 101-95 defeat against Perth. There was no further evidence of this than their 29-24 Q4 win which saw them fall just short of completing the miraculous comeback in Western Australia at the RAC Arena. Leading the way for the JackJumpers was the previously mentioned Jack McVeigh who shot a solid 56.3% from the floor, good for 22PTS, alongside his 5REB, 5AST and 1BLK. Also contributing strongly was Milton Doyle, who once again looks primed for a massive campaign, with his 18PTS, 6REB, 8AST and 1STL. Jordan Crawford also conjured up 13PTS, 1REB, 4AST and 2STL to his name. Whilst the likes of Anthony Drmic and Majok Deng fashioned 11PTS each. Plus there was also Marcus Lee with 9PTS and 9REB.
As for Sydney at the WIN Entertainment Centre they blew their arch-rivals the cross-town ‘Illawarrian’s’ out of the water, as they prevailed 96-81 in what was certainly a clunky, clunky clash at times. The Kings iced the game in the fourth quarter, as they toppled that period by a 22-17 scoreline. Starring for Sydney was new import and former Chicago Bull Denzel Valentine who fashioned 8PTS, 7REB, 10AST, 2STL and 1BLK on his debut for the club. Meanwhile Jaylen Adams in his return was simply sensational, as he locked down 20PTS, 3REB, 3AST and 2STL. Kouat Noi was also a lethal weapon off the bench with 23PTS, as he went 6/8 from deep! In addition he also had 4REB and 1AST. There was also Jaylin Galloway with 18PTS and Hunter with 12PTS + some absolutely ferocious dunks.
When it comes to superstar Basketball players both here and abroad, they are usually the difference makers for their teams. See Michael Jordan with the Bulls, or LeBron James with multiple teams. And here you have Bryce Cotton with the Wildcats and competitors such as Mitch Creek with the Phoenix. Jaylen Adams is exactly that and more for the Sydney Kings. Having already won an MVP award during his lone season in the league, it’s clear the Point Guard is a pretty damn special player. He can create something out of nothing and is as clutch as they come. However given it was his first game back for Sydney just last round he was a bit sporadic with his play, which was to be expected. However now returning for the first time in well over a year in front of his adoring home fans who constantly used to chant MVP in his honour, this might be the clash where he flips the switch and is back to his usual, insane best. Expect him to be a real difference-maker in this clash in what should be a tightly contested Sydney triumph.
Betting tips: Back the Kings to win at $1.75 and to also win Q1 at $1.80 (Bet365)
You can also pick Sydney to reach 50PTS throughout H1 first at $1.84 and for the total points scored throughout the game to be odd at $1.81 (BoomBet)
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Perth Wildcats vs Adelaide 36ersFriday October 06, 9:30pm |
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As the Wildcats gear up to play the struggling 36ers, they do so having won eight of their last 11 H2Hs against them. The latest of which was a 32-point drubbing in the Blitz, a game which saw five different Perth players score in double-figure points. After that it was an easily convincing 15-point victory which witnessed Bryce Cotton procure 23PTS and energetic Guard Corey Webster 17PTS. And before that the deadly combination of yep you guessed it Cotton & Webster combined for 54PTS and six-threes as Perth won 98-90. Adelaide clearly don’t do well against their hosts for this should-be testy affair and as a result they normally get pounced upon. And with Cotton having scored 21PTS and Webster 16PTS in their RD1 home win over the JackJumpers, barring a miracle it looks like the Wildcats should collect an easy win here.
Despite their best efforts in the fourth quarter last Sunday evening, winning 38-26, Perth weren’t quite good enough as they fell to the South East Melbourne Phoenix 110-99 in the end. Because a 38-12 result in the Phoenix’s favour during Q3 definitely curtailed them no matter which way you look at it. Bryce Cotton doesn’t play badly two games in a row and that is just one of the many reasons he’s primed to explode against Adelaide, as he shot just 3/13 from the floor in his latest clash. However as an added bonus he did also register an impressive 10AST. Corey Webster was also quite poor, but he also does love showing out in front of the Wildcats home supporters, as he collected just 5PTS. He did however also fashion 5AST and 2STL. On a more positive note however 19-year-old Forward Ben Henshall had himself a game with 24PTS, 5REB, 1AST and 2STL on an impressive 9/14 shooting. Keanu Pinder also secured 14PTS, 5REB and 2STL. While blokes such as Jordan Usher and Alexandre Sarr had 12PTS and 11PTS respectively.
Meanwhile for Adelaide they were potent, but not quite potent enough when needed throughout the course of their tight 82-74 loss to Melbourne at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Leading the way from the starters was Mitch McCarron with 12PTS and Trey Kell III with 10PTS. McCarron also had 6REB, 1AST and 1BLK to his name. While Kell III locked down 2REB, 3AST and 1STL. Off the bench however was a different story as Jason Cadee back with the 36ers for the first time since 2014, ran it up as he went 6/7 from the FT line for 18PTS. As he also conjured up 2REB, 6AST and 2STL. Tohi Smith-Milner went well too with 10PTS and 2REB, whilst Kyrin Galloway had 9REB.
It’s already hard enough to see Adelaide finding a way to beat Perth, especially so when you factory in their recent history against one another and the fact that the wooden spoon favourites have no real answers when it comes to thwarting the likes of Bryce Cotton and Corey Webster, the incredibly energetic and mostly on-fire dual Guard combo. But Perth have also won nine of their last 11 games contested at the RAC Arena as well, dropping 101+ PTS on just under half of those occasions (five). With their arena regularly sold out or being incredibly close to it, the Wildcats quite often use the momentum that their home support creates to go on insanely electric scoring splurges. And against a woefully poor defensive side such as what Adelaide are right now, that should make them easy pickings come Saturday night. Sorry in advance 36ers supporters, but your team may well be in for a real thrashing.
Betting tips: Look for Perth to win at $1.19 and to win H1 as well at $1.30 (BlueBet).
Also look for the total number of points scored in H1 to be even at $1.88 and for the game total to be at 184PTS or under at $1.73 (BlueBet).