The Wildcats defended homecourt in Game 1 and will now attempt to close out this semi-finals series against the JackJumpers in Tasmania in Game 2. It should be another cracking contest and we have you covered with our game preview and NBL best bet below!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL24 playoffs, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL24 Semi-Finals Preview & Betting Tips
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Perth Wildcats (Game 2)
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, March 8th, MyState Bank Arena
Game 1 of this best-of-three semi-finals series absolutely lived up to the hype! It was priced by the bookies as a near even-money game and it certainly felt like that when the lead was chopping and changing in the fourth quarter. However, the Wildcats were the narrow favourites to get the job done and did exactly that as they came away with an eight-point win (89-81).
The two main stars for both teams struggled shooting the ball on the night, but a lot of that had to do with the high-intensity that both clubs were playing with on the defensive end. Reigning MVP winner Bryce Cotton was held to only 15 points and five assists on 3-12 shooting from the field, while former First Team All-NBL member Milton Doyle scored only 12 points on 4-16 shooting.
Both clubs also had similar key statistics across the board, with the Wildcats narrowly winning the rebound battle (41-40) and committing less turnovers (8-9). Both teams also had trouble defending without fouling (48 combined fouls) and each had a number of key personnel in foul trouble.
The series now heads to Tasmania for the first and only time in this best-of-three format. The JackJumpers have surprisingly struggled to defend home court in NBL24 with wins in just over half of their regular season games (8/14). Meanwhile, the Wildcats won 50% of their away games in the regular season (7/14).
Match prediction: The Wildcats have one foot in the Grand Finals series but are kidding themselves if they think the Jackies won’t be throwing everything including the kitchen sink at them on Monday night. The Jackies also have home court advantage on this occasion, and while it was mentioned above that they haven’t necessarily made MyState Bank Arena a fortress this season, they’ve still won each of their last three home games in this matchup.
With that said, I’m expecting another close clash between two evenly-matched clubs, but have to give the edge to the home side to secure the win in what will surely be a highly entertaining Game 2.
Tasmania JackJumpers 1-10
$2.60 (1 Unit)
