We have a blockbuster clash on our hands on Friday night in Round 10 of NBL23. The Adelaide 36ers will play hosts to the Perth Wildcats in a crucial game for both clubs. Jake Smit previews the clash and brings you his best bet right here!
Also, make sure to check out our NBL tips page where you’ll find our best bets for every game of the 2022-23 NBL season!
Adelaide 36ers vs Perth Wildcats Preview & Betting Tips
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Meeting for the second time in a fortnight, the Adelaide 36ers will host the Perth Wildcats at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday night. The 36ers are listed as narrow favourites in the head-to-head market at the time of writing ($1.61 vs $2.25).
In their recent meeting, which was at RAC Arena in Perth, the 36ers ran rampart from the outset to record a 14-point wire-to-wire win (96-82).
It was an all-around team performance from the 36ers on that occasion, with four guys each scoring 14+ points, led by Robert Franks with 21. For the losers, Bryce Cotton had 17 points, but it took him 14 shots at a 35.7% clip.
In the time since their meeting on the 24th of November, the 36ers have gone 1-1 with a win over the Taipans and a loss against the Kings, while the Wildcats have played four games and split them down the middle.
For the 36ers, defence is their biggest concern through 12 games this season. They give up a tick under 90 points a night on average, which ranks them second worst in the competition and only slightly better than the 2-13 Hawks.
Of course, the 36ers still have an import slot up their sleeves after the departure of Craig Randall a couple of weeks ago. Which way they go with that spot remains to be seen. They clearly need to get some help for Mitch McCarron at the point guard position but could also do with some better paint protection on defence.
Similarly, the Wildcats need to improve drastically on the defensive end if they’re to make any noise later in the season. They’ve been only slightly stingier than the 36ers in giving up points this campaign, ranking third worst in the league at 88 points against per game.
The Wildcats have less wiggle room as they’ve already used up their import spots, so they’ll be relying on growth from within. Brady Manek has come on leaps and bounds since his slow start to the season, while TaShawn Thomas needs to do a better job protecting the paint and commanding every defensive rebound.
This will already be the third meeting between these teams this season, with each club winning once in each other’s building. They also both bring in similar form lines, which makes this a fairly tricky game to predict.
However, with home court advantage and superior talent on their side (in my opinion), I believe the 36ers deserve to be the favourites on Friday night and should be able to edge ahead in the head-to-head count against the Wildcats.
Adelaide 36ers -3.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
