With the NBL regular season drawing to a close in the coming weeks, wins are at a premium for the teams vying for a spot in the playoffs. There are plenty of important matchups set to take place in Round 16 and we have you covered with our best bets for them right here!
NBL Round 16 Betting Tips
SE Melbourne Phoenix vs Brisbane Bullets
Thursday 7:30pm AEST, John Cain Arena
South-East Melbourne secured a much-needed win against the Taipans last time out to snap a three-game losing streak that saw them slip to fourth on the ladder. Despite their current struggles, Phoenix are still well and truly in the box seat to secure the first playoff berth in their organisation’s short history.
Brisbane’s struggles continued in Round 15 with another big loss, this time against the Wildcats to the tune of 18 points. The Bullets have now lost six of their past seven games and it looks like it’ll cost them a playoff spot, which is disappointing after such a promising first half of the season.
Injuries and form have plagued the Bullets in recent weeks, which will give Phoenix the big edge at home in this one. They won their only other meeting against the Bullets this season by 16 points and with how things are going at the moment, we’re expecting a similar type of score line on Thursday night.
SE Melbourne Phoenix -6.5
$1.90
New Zealand Breakers vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 5:30pm AEST, Silverdome
New Zealand were no match for the league-leading Melbourne United on Wednesday night, going down by 14 points. It was a disappointing performance from the Breakers considering they had won three of their four prior games leading in. On a positive note, it’s expected that Tai Webster will return from injury for this clash against the Wildcats.
Perth have had a couple of disappointing losses in their past five games, but were big winners last time out against the Bullets to stay in the hunt for the top seed in the playoffs. The Wildcats have just had another fantastic season to keep their amazing playoff streak alive.
The Breakers managed to upset the Wildcats in their most recent meeting, but the Wildcats still lead the season series 2-1 and will start their final matchup as the clear favourites. We’re expecting the Wildcats to get sweet revenge with a big win against a Breakers outfit that is now officially out of the playoff race.
Perth Wildcats -6.5
$1.90
Adelaide 36ers vs Brisbane Bullets
Saturday 8pm AEST, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Adelaide have had tough luck with injuries all season long and it’ll end up costing then a potential playoff berth. Regardless, they’ve been an exciting team to watch night in and night out, especially with Josh Giddey on the court, which won’t be the case after this season as he’s nominated for the NBA Draft.
We mentioned above that the Bullets have really struggled in the second half of the season and a lot of that has to do with their injuries. Their limited roster has made it hard for them to compete at the business end of the season, which has resulted in another season without playoff basketball.
At the time of writing, the odds for this game haven’t been released; we imagine that the 36ers will be the favourites on their home deck and for good reason. They’ve played positive basketball over the past couple of weeks and should have no problem overcoming the out-of-form Bullets here.
*Tip Coming Soon*
