The NBL Championship Series has been extended to a fifth and final game which will be played this Wednesday night. We preview the Kings vs Breakers decider and bring you our best bet right here!
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NBL Championship Series Game 5 Preview & Betting Tips
Sydney Kings vs New Zealand Breakers
Wednesday March 15, 7:30pm AEDT, Qudos Bank Arena
It all comes down to this!
NBL23 has been a season like no other, so it’s only fitting that the Championship series will be decided by a do or die Game 5 this Wednesday. The Sydney Kings finished the regular season on top of the standings, which means they’ll do the honour of playing hosts in the decider.
If you’re wondering how we got to this stage, the Championship Series has gone like this:
Game 1: Kings 87 lost to Breakers 95 – Qudos Bank Arena
Game 2: Breakers 74 lost to Kings 81 – Spark Arena
Game 3: Kings 91 dftd Breakers 68 – Qudos Bank Arena
Game 4: Breakers 80 dftd Kings – Spark Arena
As you can see, having home court hasn’t necessarily played in either team’s favour, which was also the result in the regular season when the home team won 1/3 games in this matchup.
In saying that, the Breakers found themselves in a must-win game at home on Sunday night and managed to get the job done and extend the series.
Game 4 was won by the Breakers on the back of their incredible stingy defence that saw them contain the usually high-powered offence of the Kings to just 27 points at the half. The Kings managed to hit their straps in the third quarter when putting up 25 points, but ultimately the damage had already been done.
The Breakers were great on the defensive end on Sunday, but also got big offensive contributions from all three of their star players in the same game for the first time this series. Will McDowell-White, Barry Brown Jr. and Jarrell Brantley all scored 19+ points, and that’s especially important keeping in mind the trio combined for just 31 points in their Game 3 loss.
On the other hand, the Kings won’t have many positives at all to take away from Sunday’s defeat. Derick Walton Jr. and Xavier Cooks both looked banged up and obviously won’t be 100% fit on Wednesday, while coach Chase Buford earned himself yet another fine for his poor behaviour.
Considering everything that’s happened this series – the injuries, the upset wins, and all the other drama – I’m surprised to see the odds for Game 5 so lopsided (Kings $1.40, Breakers $3). The Breakers are the healthier team and have the confidence of knowing they’ve already won 2/3 of their trips to Qudos Bank Arena this season.
All in all, I simply cannot justify the lopsided odds and feel compelled to back the Breakers in at 3-1 odds in what feels more like a 50-50 game.
New Zealand Breakers to Win
$3 (1 Unit)
