NBL Round 8 begins on Thursday night with a mouth-watering double-header! Action begins in Tasmania with a clash between the JackJumpers and the Breakers. As always, we have you covered with a full game preview and best bet right here!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL24 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL24 Round 8 Preview & Betting Tips
Tasmania JackJumpers vs New Zealand Breakers
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, November 16th, Silverdome
After a dip in form in Round 5, the Tasmania JackJumpers found their rhythm in Rounds 6 & 7 where they won both of their outings. Their first win was at home against the Bullets by two points, while their most recent win was on the road against the 36ers by 10.
The JackJumpers are now 10 games into their campaign which is a decent sample size. They currently sit at 6-4 and that’s probably about where most pundits expected them to be. Still, there’s plenty of improvement to be made, particularly on the defensive end where the JackJumpers have made their name since entering the competition.
A key to ramping up their defensive intensity and efficiency is the return of big man Will Magnay. He provides excellent rim protection and takes a lot of pressure off Marcus Lee who’s had well-documented struggles with foul trouble.
In contrast, the New Zealand Breakers are nowhere near where most expected them to be at this stage of the season. Making it all the way to the NBL Finals last season, the Breakers have managed to secure just two wins from eight games to date.
The Breakers won their opening game of the season at home against the Snakes, but have lost seven of their last eight including all four on the road. Most recently, the Breakers were destroyed by 18 points against the Wildcats, also allowing a 37-point onslaught from Bryce Cotton in the process.
The Breakers were also one of the better defensive teams last season and that was a big reason why they were the runners-up. However, they’re yet to keep a team under 80 points through eight games thus far, and have given up 94+ in four of their past six outings.
Match prediction: The JackJumpers are clearly the form team in this matchup and being on their home deck only improves their chances of winning. They’re 3-1 at home in NBL24 while the Breakers are 0-4 on their travels. This leads me to believe that taking the JackJumpers to win is a fairly safe option.
Additionally, the Breakers defensive struggles will provide the opportunity for some of the JackJumpers key scorers to really get it going. Milton Doyle is a guy that can be streaky at times but usually plays his best basketball at home. He’s averaging 19ppg in Tassie and should be able to reach the 15+ mark here.
JackJumpers Win + Doyle 15+ Points
$1.85 (2 Units)
