The 2022-23 NBL season continues this weekend with a monster eight-game round on the cards. Here, Jake Smit takes you through his best bet for all eight games.
Also, make sure to check out NBL tips page regularly to find our previews and best bets for each and every game of the 2022-23 NBL season!
NBL Round 2 Preview & Betting Tips
Illawarra Hawks vs S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
New Zealand Breakers vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Friday 5:30pm AEDT, Spark Arena
The Breakers showed us they’ll be a fun team to watch this season in their narrow four-point loss against powerhouse, Melbourne United. Will McDowell-White was fantastic at coordinating the offence and will be one to watch as a breakout player in NBL23. On the other hand, the JackJumpers lost both of their Round 1 games and were particularly bad in their most recent outing against the Taipans – a team that many have finishing in the bottom two.
The JackJumpers conceded a total of 190 points in their two Round 1 games combined, which is totally unlike the grit and grind style we saw from them in their inaugural season. From the eye test it looked as though their new imports haven’t bought into Scott Roth’s system yet, which is just one of their many issues early on. On the flip side, the Breakers won plenty of fans with their Round 1 effort and will return to play in front of their faithful for the first time in a couple of years. Spark Arena will be rocking, and I expect the home side to put on a show.
New Zealand Breakers -5.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, Qudos Bank Arena
The Kings took the honours in the Game 1 of the Freeway series in Round 1, defeating the Hawks in an entertaining affair. Derrick Walton Jr showed everyone he’ll be an MVP contender with a stellar performance, and Xavier Cooks was almost just as good. In contrast, the Bullets first game didn’t go at all to plan as they were blown off the court by Bryce Cotton and the Wildcats. Marquee signings Tyler Johnson and Aron Baynes were both rusty first up, which was probably to be expected.
It looks as though it will take the Bullets at least a couple of weeks to build chemistry between their star players, and their schedule early in the season certainly doesn’t help their cause. They now travel to take on the defending champs on their home court, which I can only see going one way. The Kings should be too good in their first encounter with the new-look Bullets.
Sydney Kings -6.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
S.E Melbourne Phoenix vs Cairns Taipans
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
The Phoenix weren’t competitive for the most part of their clash with the Hawks on Thursday night and are now 1-1. Their lengthy injury list played a big factor in their defeat and their key players won’t be returning on Saturday either. Meanwhile, the Taipans were brilliant in their demolition job of the JackJumpers in Round 1 and their playstyle was very easy on the eye.
The Snakes have a fantastic opportunity to start the season 2-0 and I believe they should be the favourites against the depleted Phoenix. The Snakes will push the pace on offence and will put up a total that the home side just won’t be able to compete with, which makes this an easy selection and my favourite bet of the round.
Cairns Taipans H2H
$2.10 (3.5 Units)
Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks
Saturday 8pm AEDT, RAC Arena
Bryce Cotton saw what a couple of the other star imports were doing in Round 1 and said “hold my beer”. He put up a monster 23/12/6/6 stat line in his team’s dominant win over the highly fancied Bullets. The Hawks, on the other hand, were outmatched in their opening game of the season, but bounced back with an easy win over the Phoenix to kick off Round 2.
The Wildcats are always incredibly tough to beat in the Jungle and I’m sure that will be the case again here. Even if their gun import in Justin Robinson was fit, I couldn’t see the Hawks getting the chocolates away from home in a tough environment. So, with that said, Wildcats in an easy win is the play here.
Perth Wildcats -7.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 2pm AEDT, MyState Bank Arena
The JackJumpers are now 0-3 after a horror start to the season but find themselves in a winnable game against a Bullets outfit still trying to generate some chemistry among key signings. Despite the loss, I liked what I saw from the JackJumpers in the second half of their game against the Breakers where they held them to just 25 points, which is a lot more like the JJ’s style of play we’ve become accustomed to.
The Bullets certainly have the superior talent on paper, but Nathan Sobey and Aron Baynes are still trying to get their legs under them after a period of time away from the game, while Tyler Johnson is still working his way into the style of the NBL. Their lack of identity on offence, coupled with the improved defence of the JackJumpers should lead to a low-scoring game on Sunday afternoon.
Under 162.5 Points
$1.95 (1 Unit)
Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings
Sunday 4pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Cairns Taipans vs Perth Wildcats
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre
The Taipans played their part in one of the worst basketball games you will see against the Phoenix on Saturday. They had 20 turnovers to the Phoenix’s 26 and ended up winning 85-76 to go to 2-0 on the season. The Wildcats are also a perfect 2-0 after taking care of the Hawks in their first game of Round 2. They trailed for most of the game but had a very dubious calls go their way in the fourth quarter, helping them to a 74-71 win.
If there’s one team you tune into watch this season, make sure it’s the Taipans. They play at a rapid pace and that’s led to them scoring 191 points from two games. They’ll push the pace again on their home floor on Monday night and this should result in the total points cruising past the current line of 167.5.
Over 167.5 Points
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
