The final weekend of regular season NBL basketball is here and there are some huge games scheduled for play. Catch our best bets for them right here and good luck to everyone following!
NBL Round 21 Betting Tips
Perth Wildcats vs Melbourne United
Friday 9:30pm AEST, RAC Arena
Perth Wildcats were dealt a big blow when superstar Bryce Cotton went down with a leg injury around a week ago, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season and potentially the playoffs. The Wildcats were still able to get the job done against the Kings in Round 20, but were outgunned by the Hawks in their most recent outing.
Melbourne United finished their three-game road trip in disappointing fashion as they fell to the Kings in overtime by two points. United quickly regathered themselves on their home deck in their most recent game against the lowly Taipans, destroying them by 25 points and scoring over 100 for the fourth time this season.
It’s no surprise that the Wildcats have found it tough to score the ball without Cotton leading the charge. They’ve scored just 81 and 79 points in their last two games and come up against a stingy United defence on Friday night that will make it even tougher. We’re expecting this 1v2 clash to be a bit of a slugfest, which will see the total points fall under the line.
New Zealand Breakers vs SE Melbourne Phoenix
Saturday 5:30pm AEST, The Trusts Arena
New Zealand played their part in a bottom-of-the-table clash against Cairns in their first game of Round 21, which they were able to win by six points after trailing for most of the night. It’s been a tough season all around for the Breakers, but at least they’ve been able to win some games in front of their fans late in their campaign.
South-East Melbourne looked like absolute certainties to finish in the top four a couple of weeks ago, but two really poor losses on the spin have put them in danger of slipping to fifth. Mitch Creek returned to form last time out against the Bullets, but it still wasn’t enough for them to win on their home deck.
The Phoenix clearly haven’t been at their best over the past week or so, but they won’t have to be to get the job done against this Breakers team that is keen for the season to finish. In a must-win game, we have Creek and co. getting the job done on the road to shore up a top four spot.
SE Melbourne Phoenix -1.5
$1.90
Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets
Saturday 8pm AEST, Qudos Bank Arena
Sydney have been grinding away over the past couple of weeks despite persistent injuries to some of their key players. Their overtime win over the ladder-leading United was huge in Round 20 and they were able to back it up in their first game of Round 21 with a road victory against the Hawks.
Brisbane’s season took a turn for the worst when their star import Vic Law went down with season-ending injury a couple of months ago; however, they’ve found some reserve in the tank over the past couple of weeks to put together a three-game winning streak that have kept their top four chances mathematically alive.
What a huge game we have on our hands here. A loss for either team would end their season, while a win keeps them right in the hunt four a top four finish. It should be a great game, but we have to give the edge to the Kings on their home deck to salute.
