The exciting 2019-20 NBL season continues with shortly with Round 18 action. Last weekend we went a perfect 3/3 on our betting tips for the second straight week in what has been a fantast 2020 for us thus far. We now look to continue our form when we preview our favourite bets from the upcoming round below. As always, good luck to everyone following!
NBL Round 18 Betting Tips
NZ Breakers vs Adelaide 36ers
Friday, 5:30pm AEDT
The Breakers just couldn’t get over the line and pull off the upset last weekend on their trip to Perth, going down by one point to the Wildcats. Despite the result, it was another great performance from the Breakers who are still clinging onto playoff hopes. They’re currently two games outside the top four with four games remaining.
The 36ers were very disappointing losers in their only Round 17 game, going down to the Bullets at home by nine points. That made it two pretty poor losses in a row for a team looking to claim the fourth and final playoff spot on offer. Like their opponents in the Breakers, the 36ers come into this clash outside the top four by two wins with four games to play.
This is an absolute must-win game for both ball clubs, which should make for excellent viewing for us fans. In terms of a result, we’re really keen on siding with the home side in the Breakers. They come into this in much better form compared to the 36ers and have also won 7/12 on their home deck. We expect them to win this game fairly comfortably to keep their season alive.
Cairns Taipans vs Illawarra Hawks
Friday, 8pm AEDT
The Taipans have been the great improvers this season and are almost guaranteed to feature in the playoffs. After finishing last season on the bottom of the ladder with just six wins under their belts, they’ve surprised everyone and come into this weekend with a 14-10 record, which is the third best mark in the league. They were winners on the road last weekend by one point, which made it seven wins from their past eight games.
In complete contrast to the Taipans, the Hawks have endured one of the toughest seasons of any team in recent memory. Injuries to key players have made it extremely tough for them to be competitive on a week by week basis, which has meant they’ve been glued to the bottom of the ladder from start to finish. They come into this matchup having lost each of their last six and eight of their last 9 games.
Here, we have the form team of the competition coming up against the most out of form team. Interestingly, the Hawks have won all three meetings between these clubs this season; however, we just can’t see how they’ll make it 4/4. Their list is depleted by injuries, while the Taipans are healthy and firing. We expect this to be a very comfortable win for the Taipans at the Snake Pit.
Cairns Taipans -9.5
$1.88
Illawarra Hawks vs NZ Breakers
Sunday, 3pm AEDT
As mentioned above, the Hawks have had a really tough season and will be counting down the days until it’s over. They’ve managed to win just five games compared to 19 losses, which has them four games clear at the bottom of the ladder with the Wooden Spoon all but confirmed.
Also mentioned above, the Breakers are in the do or die stages of their season. They can’t afford to lose any more games, especially ones against teams out of playoff contention. The Breakers have enjoyed a fantastic second half of the season and will be hoping the best is yet to come.
This is a pretty straightforward pick for us as we believe it will be a one-sided affair. The Breakers are the far better team and are in a must-win match. We expect them to win by double figures.
