There are more Monday hoops this week with the Hawks taking on the Breakers to close out Round 3 of the 2022-23 NBL season. Jake Smit previews the game and brings you his best spread and player prop bets!
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!
Illawarra Hawks vs New Zealand Breakers Preview & Betting Tips
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
Illawarra Hawks
The Hawks tried their best to pull off an upset win over the 36ers on Saturday night but couldn’t cope with a Craig Randall fourth quarter onslaught from downtown in what became their third loss of the season from four games.
Tyler Harvey continues to struggle shooting the ball and is currently hitting at a clip of just 32.8% from the field. He’s going to need to improve sharply to help his team’s offense that is clearly missing the scoring punch they had in past campaigns.
One positive in the early part of the season has been the play of Lachie Dent who’s finally getting a decent opportunity at the level. He’s averaging 12 points per game on 24 minutes a night and is shooting a cool 50% from the floor and 58% from three.
New Zealand Breakers
The Breakers are unlucky not to be a perfect 3-0 heading into Monday night’s game. They lost their season opener in overtime but bounced back to win their last two against the JackJumpers and the Phoenix. Their most recent win against the Phoenix was by far their best performance to date. They led at every break and had five players score in double figures.
Izayah Le’Afa dished out a career-high 10 dimes against his old side on Saturday night to go alone with 14 points and six rebounds.
Rob Loe was an unexpected spark plug for the Breakers with 18 points in 22 minutes, connecting on 3-5 attempts from deep. Loe looks to be in great physical shape this season and will likely feature a lot more than in years past, particularly with the Breakers lack of depth at the centre position.
Match Prediction
The Hawks won the season series 2-1 against the Breakers in 2021-22, winning once in double overtime and trading blowout results in the other two games.
The Breakers have certainly improved their roster this season and are a dark horse to push for a finals spot in my opinion, particularly now that they get to play games in from of their home fans.
I’m a touch surprised to see the Breakers listed as 5.5-point underdogs considering they’ve played the better basketball of the pair to date. They’ll be full of confidence heading to WIN Entertainment Centre and are every chance to come away with another win. However, I’ll play it on the safer side and take them at the line.
New Zealand Breakers +5.5
$1.85 (2.5 Units)
Prop Bets
Izayah Le’Afa is getting a lot more opportunity in a Breakers jersey this season. He’s scored 13, 16, and 14 points from his three games despite shooting it at a poor 34.3% clip. He’s a great bet to go over his line of 11.5 on Monday night.
Izayah Le’Afa Over 11.5 Points ($1.85 at Ladbrokes)
The Hawks signed import Justin Robinson to help take some scoring pressure off Tyler Harvey this season, but Robinson’s season-ending injury means Harvey will have to put up a lot of shots once again. He’s had a slow start to the season but is due to have a breakout game.
Tyler Harvey Over 17.5 Points ($1.87 at Ladbrokes)
