The first of two matchups in the NBL on Friday night is a mouth-watering one. Two in-form sides will come together as the Tasmania JackJumpers play hosts to Melbourne United. 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 NBL24 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content. Alternatively, you can find all of our NBL Round 5 best bets here.
NBL24 Round 5 Preview & Betting Tips
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Melbourne United
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, October 27th, MyState Bank Arena
The trustworthy Tasmania JackJumpers were able to avoid back-to-back losses last weekend when they secured an impressive 10-point win over the defending champions in Sydney. Import point guard Jordon Crawford was awesome as he poured in a game-high 32 points, thoroughly outplaying NBL22 MVP Jaylen Adams.
The JackJumpers have had a tough schedule to start NBL24 with four of their first six games coming on the road. That makes it all the more impressive that they’ve been able to put together a 4-2 record which has them sitting second in the standings.
Now returning to the Nest where they’ve won 2/2 this campaign, the JackJumpers will be brimming with confidence. In more positive news, big man Will Magnay is progressing well with his foot injury and is now listed as only 2-3 weeks away from returning.
Also beginning the season in superb form are Melbourne United. They’re currently riding a league-high four-game winning run and have an overall record of 6-1 which is also the best in the competition.
United were busy in Round 4 with two games and were able to perform at their optimum in both. They began with an easy road win over the Hawks where they put up a season-high 101 points before backing it up with a gritty home win against last season’s runners-up in the Breakers.
With Jo Lual-Acuil returning from injury in Round 4, United are now almost at full strength which is a scary proposition for all nine other teams. However, veteran point guard Matthew Dellavedova will be missing from the squad this weekend as he continues to recover from a concussion.
Match prediction: Melbourne Untied might have a juicy 6-1 record heading into Round 5, but their lone blemish was in fact against the Tasmania JackJumpers. They coughed up a sizeable fourth quarter lead in their meeting in Round 2 and allowed the JackJumpers to run over the top to come away with a fantastic road win (80-75).
The JackJumpers will do the honours and play hosts in their rematch in Round 5, which tips the scales in their favour. They’re incredibly difficult to beat under these circumstances and are of course a perfect 2-2 at home this season. It’s a low bet game for me due to how great both clubs are, but I have to give the JackJumpers the slight edge at home.
Tasmania JackJumpers -2.5
$1.87 (1.5 Units)
