Round 1 of NBL25 continues with a juicy double-header on Saturday for fans to lock into. The first game pits the New Zealand Breakers against the Brisbane Bullets at HBF Stadium in Perth. We bring you our full game preview and best bet below!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL25 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL25 Round 1 Preview & Betting Tips
New Zealand Breakers vs Brisbane Bullets
Saturday 6:00pm AEST, September 21st, HBF Stadium (Perth)
The New Zealand Breakers had somewhat of a disappointing NBL24 season considering the immense level of talent they had on their roster. As a result, their roster has had a major overhaul and they also brought in a new coach in Petteri Koponen who replaced Mody Maor.
The Breakers managed to keep star point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright which is important, and he’ll be the head of the snake again in NBL25. Jonah Bolden also comes across from the Kings and should improve on last season.
The Breakers didn’t have the ideal preparation ahead of Round 1 as they lost all three of their games at the NBL Blitz. Although with almost an entirely new roster, it may take some time to build their team chemistry.
There’s plenty of reasons to have optimism if you’re a Brisbane Bullets fan on the back of their superb preseason. They secured a number of impressive wins in practice games before going undefeated in the NBL Blitz. Although those games don’t count for much, the team is sure to have built up some confidence ahead of the real thing.
The Bullets didn’t make any massive moves in the offseason but did secure some important signatures. James Batemon looks to be a nice addition at point guard, while younger guys like Josh Bannan (unavailable on Saturday) and Rocco Zikarsky have significant growth in them. Tyrell Harrison was in cracking form in the preseason as well and won the NBL Blitz MVP.
Game Prediction: The Breakers were the better outfit last season but I’m not sure that will be the case in NBL25. The Bullets were super impressive in the preseason and with a lot less roster turnover compared to most clubs, they could hit the ground running.
It’s always tough to predict Round 1 results, although I do get the feeling that it could take the Breakers a bit of time to find their identity under their new coach. And with that in mind, I’m happy to back the Bullets at the underdog price.
Bullets to Win
$2.35 (1.5 Units)
