NBL Round 10 kicks off this Wednesday night with New Zealand taking on Illawarra. Catch our preview and best bet for that clash plus all seven other games on this round right here!
NBL Round 10 Betting Tips
New Zealand Breakers vs Illawarra Hawks
Wednesday 7:30pm AEDT, MyState Bank Arena
The Breakers teased us with some good performances in recent weeks, only to put in arguably their worst shift of the season last time out against the JackJumpers. They got blown out of the park by the newcomers to the tune of 24 points, while being limited to a season low 59 points. That loss was already the eighth of their campaign to date which is starting to quickly get away from them.
The Hawks have been inconsistent over the last few weeks but managed to put in a strong four-quarter performance against the Taipans most recently. Remarkably, keeping the Snakes to 75 points was only the second time they’ve kept their opposition to less than 80 points this season, as well as their best defensive effort since Round 1 when they limited to 36ers to 71. The Hawks hare now a solid 6-4 on the season and will be looking for more consistency going forward.
These teams have already met once this season and boy was it a thriller. The Hawks came out on top on that occasion in a double OT thriller via a 97-96 scoreline. The big 193 total from their first matchup is no anomaly for Hawks games, as each of their last nine games have gone over the 167.5 total line that’s currently set for their upcoming encounter. We expect current trends to continue and for the total points to sail over once again.
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Sydney Kings
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, MyState Bank Arena
The JackJumpers have been firing on all cylinders in their last two games, limiting their opposition to a combined 130 points en route to wins over the Breakers and the 36ers. Their return to form has coincided with big man Will Magnay finding his groove after he suffered a very shaky start to the season. The newcomers are now 4-6 on the season and have improved into sixth spot in the standings.
Despite possessing arguably the most talented roster in the competition on paper, the Kings managed to win just three of their first nine games in NBL22, which put plenty of early heat on new coach Chase Buford. However, they’ve bounced back beautifully in their last two outings with some big wins over quality outfits in the Bullets and the Wildcats. Star import Jalen Adams has shown his worth in recent games, particularly last time out where he flirted with a 30-point triple-double. His form has helped lift the Kings into fifth spot in the standings and only one win behind fourth.
Both teams will enter Round 10 full of confidence after each stringing together back-to-back wins. Only one team will extend their streak to three, however, and unfortunately for some of the key stakeholders at BYB, we firmly believe it will be the Kings. They are the far, far better team and the only thing we’re unsure about is how much they’ll end up winning by.
Brisbane Bullets vs Cairns Taipans
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, Nissan Arena
The Bullets have one of the most talented rosters in the competition, yet have struggled in recent outings having lost each of their last three games, two of which have been at home. The bulk of their issues have come on the defensive end where they’ve given up at least 83 points, which is the worst mark in the league. They’ll be looking to tighten up those areas to make a charge towards the top four, which is clearly where this roster deserves to be.
The Taipans had a great start to the season with two wins in their first three games despite superstar Scott Machado going down with injury in their opener. However, they’ve since regressed with losses in each of their last three games and will face a much tougher schedule in the coming weeks. The Taipans are currently 2-4 and have played the least amount of games in the competition.
Both of these teams enter this fixture having lost each of their last three, which obviously provides a traffic platform going forward for the winner. The Bullets will have the advantage of being on their home floor on this occasion and we expect them to make the most of it. Their roster is absolutely stacked with talent and should be making light work of the Taipans here, providing they play somewhat close to their capabilities.
Brisbane Bullets -5.5
$1.94
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
The Phoenix recorded arguably their best win of the season last time out away to the Bullets where they saluted by 15 points. That win made it three on the spin for a team that was touted as one of the favourites to win it all before the season commenced. On the back of their recent form, the Phoenix have surged to the top of the NBL standings with a 6-2 record.
The Wildcats continue their lengthy road trip and will make their sixth stop in Melbourne on Saturday night. They’ve handled their five games on their current trip fairly well with three wins and two losses to their name, although they suffered a tough 15-point defeat against the Kings last time out. Regardless, the Wildcats would be pleased with their 7-3 start to their campaign, which places them third in the standings.
These teams haven’t met since March in 2011 when the Phoenix won by one point in a 93-92 thriller, which means there’s little H2H form to read from. However, the Phoenix have proven themselves as one of the teams to beat on their home court this season where they’re currently 3-0. With that said, they represent very good value in the H2H market here.
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix H2H
$1.90
Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Sunday 3pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Despite looking on their way to a ninth consecutive victory, Melbourne United went down to the 36ers in an overtime thriller in Round 9. The defending champs didn’t play poorly at all in that game, but it was always going to be tough after being on the Road for six straight rounds. United are now 8-3 on the season and currently sit on top of the standings.
The JackJumpers continue to defy the odds and pull off upset victories, most recently getting the better of the in-form Kings at home by seven points. Immense effort on the defensive end is what’s giving them the chance to win games at the moment, having restricted their opponents to just 66.7 points a night over their current three game win streak. The JackJumpers have improved to 5-6 on the season and are just outside the top four.
Despite entering this contest as one of the form teams of the competition, the JackJumpers are set to start as huge 10.5-point underdogs against United. While there does look to be a bit of value in the spread market, we’re keener to attack the under’s in the total points market as it just looks a touch too high. These teams are two of the premier defensive teams in the competition this season and when they played only a couple of weeks ago there were just 148 points scored. We’re expecting something similar once again.
Illawarra Hawks vs S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
After starting the season on fire with three wins from as many games, the highly-touted Hawks have been plagued by inconsistency from game to game. You only have to look at their last two games to get a good example of such inconsistencies, as they followed up their 19-point Round 9 win over the Taipans with a 21-point loss against the Breakers last time out. The Hawks have now slipped to 6-5 on the season, which is good enough for fourth spot on the ladder.
Much like their opponents here, the Phoenix have been hard to get a read on through the first couple of months of action. Their best has certainly been good enough to match it with the top sides, but their worst, which we saw last time out against the Wildcats, has left a lot to be desired. Regardless, it’s been a solid enough start for one of the early season fancies who are 6-3 and comfortably inside the top four.
Both of these teams dished up horrible performances in their first game in Round 10 and will be looking to bounce back in a big way on Monday night. The bookies have struggled to split the pair with both teams around $1.90 in the head-to-head market, which seems about right. However, we have to give the slight edge to the Hawks on this occasion, simply because they have home court advantage and more rest on their side.
Illawarra Hawks H2H
$1.90
