We had a highly successful Round 10 in the NBL, going +4.8 units to take us to +10 for the season overall.
NBL Round 11 marks the start of a hectic schedule that will see games played on almost every day until the end of January. Here, we bring you our best bets for the 10 games being played between the 14th and 20th of December.
With such a busy schedule over the next couple of months, make sure to check out our NBL tips page regularly to keep up to date with our best bets for every game of the NBL23 season!
NBL Round 11 Preview & Betting Tips
Cairns Taipans vs Brisbane Bullets
Wednesday 14th December, 7:30pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre
After a surprisingly red-hot start to the season, the Taipans have struggled for form over the past couple of weeks. Alarm bells would’ve been ringing had they lost to the Hawks in their recent outing, but thankfully they were able to come away with a one-point win in overtime. Meanwhile, alarm bells are absolutely blaring over in Brisbane. The Bullets have already made another change to their coaching ranks, with Greg Vanderjagt replacing Sam Mackinnon as their interim head coach.
I would be tempted to lay the Taipans had they been playing anyone else on Wednesday night, though it’s just impossible to have any faith in the circus that is the Brisbane Bullets right now. With that said, the Taipans should be able to win relatively comfortably at home as long as they find something close to the form they showed earlier in the season.
Cairns Taipans -5.5
$1.90 (2.5 Units)
Melbourne United vs S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Thursday 15th December, 7:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
*Click here for our full preview and betting tips for this game*
Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings
Friday 16th December, 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
*Click here for our full preview and betting tips for this game*
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Cairns Taipans
Saturday 17th December, 5:30pm AEDT, MyState Bank Arena
Life must be fun being a JackJumpers fan. They’re one of the only teams in the competition that you know what you’re going to get from them night in and night out – effort. They continue to show amazing resilience and that’s why they enter this matchup on a three-game win streak, all of which were on the road.
Similarly, the Taipans play hard on most nights, but their consistency on both ends of the floor isn’t at the level of the JackJumpers. The Taipans have looked shaky at best over their past five games and are extremely fortunate to have gone 3-2 during that span due to two overtime wins. They’ll have to be switched on for the full 40 minutes to get the better of the JackJumpers on this occasion, and I just don’t see it happening on current form.
Tasmania JackJumpers -3.5
$1.85 (2.5 Units)
Adelaide 36ers vs Brisbane Bullets
Saturday 17th December, 8pm AEDT, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The Adelaide 36ers have been a tough team to get a read on this season and enter this game on a three-game losing streak. They’re yet to string more than two wins together and desperately need to find some consistency to ensure they at least finish in the top six. There’s plenty of room for improvement, with Robert Franks capable of elevating his play, as well an import spot still open.
Unfortunately for the Bullets, they’re a team that everyone wants to see on their schedule right now. What’s gone on at their club this season has been an absolute circus, and it’s obviously impacting their play on the court.
The 36ers simply need to show up and play at a solid level to get the chocolates and cover the spread in this matchup. However, the faith I have in them at the moment means ill be sticking to just a one-unit play.
Adelaide 36ers -5.5
$1.81 (1 Unit)
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs Sydney Kings
Sunday 18th December, 2pm AEDT, Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium
Speaking of tough teams to follow, the Phoenix fit that bill nicely. Just when you think they’re on a burner and are destined for a top four or even top two spot, they go and lose easily to Melbourne United. At times it looks as though they have no idea what they’re doing on offence and that’s a real concern for me. Gary Browne isn’t a reliable scoring threat and Ryan Broekhoff could be mistaken for a witches hat most nights.
The Kings have been nowhere near their best over the past couple of weeks but have done enough to continue to tick over the win column. They got the better of the Hawks once again on Friday night to sweep them 3-0 in the Freeway Series. They now hit the road where they’ve been stellar over the past two seasons.
Sydney have won their last five games against the Phoenix and are a decent bet to extend their streak on Sunday.
Sydney Kings
$1.86 (1 Unit)
Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks
Sunday 18th December, 4pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Not the sexiest fixture to close out Sunday’s double-header, but one that could still be of high importance for Melbourne United. They’re fresh off their impressive win over the Phoenix in the Throwdown where they led for nearly all of the game. Rayjon Tucker was outstanding with 33 points and really set the table for his team.
Meanwhile, the Hawks lost yet again to the Kings last start. They made it a competitive game like they usually do, but their inability to execute down the stretch continued to haunt them. The Hawks still only have two wins to their name from 15 games.
While United have been inconsistent at the best of times this campaign, their worst is still almost good enough to get the better of the Hawks on current form. At home, I expect them to be too good and to come away with a comfortable win.
Melbourne United -6.5
$1.91 (1 Unit)
Adelaide 36ers vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Monday 19th December, 7:30pm AEDT, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
*Click here for our full preview and betting tips for this game*
Cairns Taipans vs Perth Wildcats
Tuesday 20th December, 7:30pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre
Playing for the third time in Round 11, the Taipans will play hosts to the Wildcats on Tuesday night. Fatigue will surely be starting to settle in for the Snakes, particularly after their comeback win in Tasmania on Saturday night. It was their sixth win from their past eight games and that’s seen them improve to 10-5 on the season, which is amazing considering they won only nine games in the entire NBL22 season.
The Wildcats won’t be too worried about the hot form of the Taipans, considering they’ve had the wood over them for a long, long time now. In fact, the Wildcats have won the last 10 meetings between these teams, which is the longest active win streak any team has over a single opposition. The Wildcats obviously matchup well against the Snakes and we saw another example of that earlier this season when they dismantled them by 29 points. Getting them at the underdog price looks to be great value with all things considered.
Perth Wildcats
$2.20 (1 Unit)
