There’s only a couple of rounds left for the 2017/18 NBL regular season, which means it’s heating up and there’s a lot at stake for the teams vying for a playoff position. There are some huge games coming up this week, so take a look below at our previews for the key games and provide our NBL betting tips for Round 17!
2017-18 NBL Round 17 Preview & Betting Tips
Illawarra Hawks Vs New Zealand Breakers (Friday, 2nd February, 7:30pm AEDT)
The Hawks recorded a crucial win in Round 16 when they were able to hold off the Taipans surge and win by 10 points. This takes the Hawks record to 10-12 and in 5th place in the standings with 6 games remaining. They are the only team outside of the top 4 with a chance to break into a playoff position, which would most likely come at the expense of their upcoming opponents, New Zealand Breakers. A win here would close the gap to 2 wins and would give them a genuine chance of playing in the post-season.
The Breakers find themselves in a major form slump and it’s come at a very crucial point in the season. The Breakers capitulated last weekend against the Wildcats, losing by 17 points in a blowout. After leading the league after 10 games with a 9-1 record the Breakers have gone on to win just 4 of their last 12 to hold down 4th positon at 13-9. The Breakers will need to find at least 2 wins from their last 6 games to ensure a playoff position.
As mentioned above, this is a huge game for both basketball clubs. However, we’re backing the form team to get a win in this highly anticipated duel.
TIP: Illawarra Hawks at the line (-1.5) - $1.90 at Ladbrokes
Melbourne United Vs Brisbane Bullets (Saturday, 3rd February, 5:30pm AEDT)
Wowee… Melbourne United have been ultra-impressive over the past 6 weeks. After huge criticism over their ‘super team’s’ sup-par start to the season, Melbourne United have delivered in a huge way. They’ve now won 10 of their past 11 games to lead the standings outright at 16-7. 2 more wins in their last 5 games would probably be enough to grant them home-court advantage in the playoffs, but don’t expect them to get complacent, as they’ll be looking to finish strong and carry momentum into the post-season.
In contrast to Melbourne United, the Brisbane Bullets have had an extremely disappointing season. However, the Bullets did manage a nice win over the red-hot 36ers in Round 16, although it’s nothing more than a consolation at this point in the season. The Bullets are 8-15 and second bottom in the standings heading into this weekend’s clash with United.
We’re surprised at how short this line is despite the huge gap in form and class between these two sides. We’ll be backing United to win this one easily.
TIP: Melbourne United at the line (-7.5) - $1.91 at CrownBet
Cairns Taipans Vs Sydney Kings (Saturday, 3rd February, 7:30pm AEDT)
We’ve been saying it for a while, but the Taipans season officially ended last weekend when they fell to the Hawks by 10 points on the road. It’s been a tough season for the Snakes, with injuries derailing any hope of success early on in the season. They are 10-15 for the season and will play their final home game of the season when they host the Kings this weekend.
The Kings disappointing season continued last round, as they lost to Melbourne United by 17 points at home. They have won just 7 games for the season and look poised to claim the wooden spoon. There’s nothing to gain from the 2017-18 season for the Kings now, so it’ll be interesting how they attack the remaining 4 games.
With both teams out of the playoffs race it’s a difficult one to predict. However, with Lisch back in the line-up the Kings have looked like a more competitive team over four quarters. We’ll take them at line against the Snakes on the road.
TIP: Sydney Kings at the line (+2.5) - $1.87 at Sportsbet
