Round 3 in NBL23 was a hugely successful one for us as we hit on 5/8 plays to finish the round +5.8 units, taking us to +7.1 units for the season.
Round 4 gets underway on Thursday night with a double-header and concludes on Monday night with a standalone fixture. We bring you our best bets for all eight Round 3 games below.
Also, make sure to check our NBL tips page where you’ll find our best bets for every game of the 2022-23 NBL season!
NBL Round 4 Preview & Betting Tips
New Zealand Breakers vs S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Thursday 5:30pm AEDT, The Trusts Arena, Auckland
The Breakers continue to impress and have now won three games in a row to take their record to 3-1. They destroyed the Hawks in their most recent outing despite being the underdogs (88-62). In contrast, the Phoenix have had a horrible start to their season, mainly due to injuries to a whole host of their key players. They’re finally starting to get healthy and will need to find some form ASAP to avoid letting their record get out of hand.
This will be the second meeting between these teams in less than a week, coming after the Breakers won 85-77 at odds on the road last Saturday. Their chances of giving the Phoenix another dose is only increased with this now being in front of a raucous home fan base in Auckland. The Breakers to cover the spread will be one of my better bets for the round.
New Zealand Breakers -4.5
$1.95 (2.5 Units)
Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Melbourne United have traded wins with losses in their first four games. They managed just 64 points against the stifling defence of the JackJumpers last start and are yet to really find their rhythm. On the other hand, the Taipans have hit the ground running this season - quite literally. They’re playing at a frenetic pace, and it’s paid off with wins in three out of four games to date.
The Snakes have been impressive so far but they’re heavily turnover-prone and that will play into the hands of the sharpshooting United. United have a roster that can burn you on turnovers with their outside shooting being a big feature of their play. I expect them to have the advantage here and secure their third win of the season.
Melbourne United -4.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
* Click here for our full preview and betting tips for Kings vs 36ers *
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs Brisbane Bullets
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena, Melbourne
The Phoenix will be looking to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they head back to John Cain Arena on Saturday night. They were dominant from start to finish against the Breakers on Thursday night, with most of their key players getting involved.
The Bullets have had a nightmare start to the season and to say they’ve failed to live up to they hype is an understatement and a half. They’ve lost all four games to date, three of which have been by double-figure margins.
Neither team would be happy with their record heading into this clash, but the Phoenix are certainly playing the better basketball of the two and will have gained plenty of confidence after their recent outing. They should be able to cover the small spread on this occasion.
S.E Melbourne Phoenix -2.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Cairns Taipans vs New Zealand Breakers
Sunday 2pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns
The good time continue to roll for the Taipans who have now won four out of their five games and sit on top of the NBL ladder. Keanu Pinder has been in outrageous form through the early part of the season and would probably be the front-runner for MVP.
The Breakers made a surprisingly strong start to their campaign but looked lethargic last start in their big loss to the Phoenix. They’re lacking at the point guard position with Will McDowell-White under the weather, Izayah Le’Afa shooting bricks, and Barry Brown Jr injured.
On this occasion, I believe the Breakers will struggle to keep up with the Taipans in transition, which should lead to another strong win for the home side.
Cairns Taipans -3.5
$1.95 (2 Units)
Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings
Sunday 4pm AEDT, John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Two of the biggest rivals in the NBL go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon. United have had a shaky start to their campaign with three losses from their past four games, all three of which have been on their home deck. Likewise, the Kings are in some poor form after losing two of their last three games, and both of those were at home as well.
Like most Round 4 games, this is another tough one to predict due to the similar form lines of both sides. However, the Kings already have one big win over United at John Cain Arena this season and seemingly matchup really well with them. I expect Xavier Cooks to have another big game against a United team lacking depth at the power forward and centre positions, which should ultimately give the Kings the edge here.
Sydney Kings -3.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Illawarra Hawks vs Brisbane Bullets
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
What an intriguing matchup we have on our hands to close out Round 4, with two extremely talented teams looking to kickstart their campaigns after bitterly disappointing starts.
The Hawks were embarrassed on their home deck by a more determined Breakers team in their last start, losing by double-digits for the second straight game. There’s a clear void in the guard position with import Justin Robinson out injured, although veteran Peyton Siva has recently been signed and will give them a huge boost.
The Bullets were one of the main title fancies leading into the season, but a 0-5 start sees them glued to the bottom of the standings. Their most recent performance against the Phoenix was much improved however, and if they perform like that again they’ll be coming away with a win on Monday night.
Brisbane Bullets H2H
$2.05 (1.5 Units)
