There aren’t many weeks left in the NBL regular season now and things are getting really tight for those teams hovering around the top four. As a result, there are some crucial games set to play out in Round 17 and we have previews and betting tips for them right here. Good luck to everyone following!
NBL Round 17 Betting Tips
SE Melbourne Phoenix vs Melbourne United
Saturday 5:30pm AEST, John Cain Arena
South-East Melbourne Phoenix are going through a rough patch of form at the moment with just one win from their past five games. They were defeated at home by the out-of-form Bullets last time out, which was their third straight loss on their home deck. Despite all that, the Phoenix are still inside the top four and have a good draw to come.
Melbourne United finally had their winning streak stopped at 11 after they went down to the defending champion Perth Wildcats on Wednesday. United were held to just 69 points for the game, which was their equal lowest total for the season. Regardless, they’re still sitting pretty at the top of the ladder, two wins clear of the Wildcats.
It’s nearly always a great spectacle when these fresh rivals meet and Throwdown XIII should be no different. Melbourne United were the winners of their most recent clash back in March, but with wins now a must for the Phoenix, we’re expecting them to bounce back in a big way on Saturday night.
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers
Sunday 3pm AEST, Qudos Bank Arena
Sydney Kings were rolling with four straight wins before they came up against the powerhouse that is Melbourne United last weekend. They went don’t very cheaply to the tune of 25 points, giving up 100+ points for the third time this season. The Kings remain in third spot despite the loss, but are now just one game clear of fifth.
Adelaide 36ers have finally gotten healthy and are now poised to make a late push towards the top four. They haven’t put a foot wrong in their past two games as they recorded by wins over both the Bullets and the Taipans. The 36ers are now up to 12 wins on the season and are just two wins outside the top four.
The Kings lead the season series 2-1 over the 36ers thanks to wins in their two previous meetings; however, the 36ers were undermanned on both occasions and are now fit and firing. It should certainly be an exciting and entertaining contest, but the 36ers clearly hold the value in the H2H market on this occasion.
Perth Wildcats vs New Zealand Breakers
Sunday 5pm AEST, RAC Arena
Perth Wildcats were enormous against Melbourne United on Wednesday night where they were convincing 13-point winners. John Mooney continued his spectacular campaign with 30 points and 14 rebounds and will now be apart a front-court superstar duo with Will Magnay joining the Wildcats for the rest of the season.
New Zealand Breakers have been far more competitive of late to split their past eight games at 4-4; however, it’s still not anywhere near enough to propel themselves into the mix for a playoff berth. On a positive note, Tai Webster has returned from injury, but there’s also a negative to that as Finn Delany, who has been dominating of late, now gets far less looks on offence.
Interestingly, the Breakers actually lead the season series 2-1 over the Wildcats and it could easily be 3-0 had they won the other meeting that went to overtime. However, on their home deck and in some of their best form of the season, we fully expect the Wildcats to level up the series at 2-2 with an emphatic win.
