Thursday night NBL action comes our way from "The Nest" in Hobart where it's a crucial clash between the Tasmania JackJumpers and the visiting Adelaide 36ers.
It's a log-jam in the middle of the NBL ladder and the winner here might be able to break away to secure their place in the finals.
MyState Bank Arena will no doubt be full and a hive of ant activity as the locals continue to march on in NBL 2022-23.
Greg Davis is back with his preview and NBL betting tips for the JackJumpers and the 36ers.
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Adelaide 36ers Preview & Betting Tips
MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, Thursday 7.30pm AEDT
THIS is not PR spin from the NBL head office that (embarrassingly) insists on calling its competition the second-best league in the world.
But the 2022-23 NBL season really is heating up with a vast majority of games (anything outside Brisbane v Illawarra) having play-off implications with eight teams still in the running for the six available post-season slots.
It truly is finals-come-early with every game carrying that extra bit of season-defining weight.
And that’s what we’ve got when Tasmania hosts Adelaide. The fourth-placed JackJumpers are two spots above the 36ers on the ladder but only one win separates the sides who have both struggled for consistency.
Take Tassie for example. They held on to repel the last-placed Illawarra for a three-point win on Tuesday night.
But before that, they lost to Melbourne United, smashed South East Melbourne, got thrashed by Sydney and pumped New Zealand.
They are a basketball yo-yo. At their best, they beat anyone and everyone. At their worst, they get blown off the court.
The 36ers haven’t been much better despite having oodles of talent at their disposal. Adelaide beat Tassie in Round 11 with a home 93-82 victory that was in the middle of a four-game winning streak.
They finally looked on their way but were swamped by a late-charging Cairns in Round 13, beat the Hawks and fell to the Breakers in a tight one.
Both Melbourne clubs are outside the top six (a PR disaster for the Victoria-centric NBL HQ) but are breathing down the neck of the 36ers, Perth and Tasmania.
Melbourne United have a tough draw and may be one team to drop off but any loss at this time of the year could be very costly.
Tasmanian need to re-discover their defensive grit that took them to last year’s grand final, especially against a loaded offensive side like Adelaide who have weapons all over the court.
The JackJumpers have not been able to make their home court a fortress this season with a 5-5 record on the Apple Isle with their road record being superior (7-5).
If you follow the Tassie yo-yo, the Jackjumpers are due to lose this one but the 36ers hardly inspire confidence given they can promise so much and fail to deliver.
It is just a matter of which team brings the best version of themselves. Given the play-offs are so close you can smell them, they should both step things up.
And if they both do, the 36ers to win in a tight one.
Adelaide to win by 1-10
$3.50
