Round 11 of NBL22 gets underway on Thursday night with the Phoenix hosting the Kings. That will be the first of seven games for the round and we’ll be bringing you previews and betting tips for all of them right here!
NBL Round 11 Betting Tips
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs Sydney Kings
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
The Phoenix hung on by the skin of their teeth to record a one-point win over the Hawks in their most recent outing. It certainly wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a necessary result to bounce back from their embarrassing loss to the Wildcats. The Phoenix have now improved their record to 7-3 on the season, which is good enough for second spot in the standings.
The Kings were unable to match it with the in-form JackJumpers in their first game in Round 10, but bounced back with a dominant win on their home deck against the breakers most recently. That win made it three from their last four games, which is a stretch that has coincided with the return of star import Jaylen Adams who’s already proven himself as one of the best players in the competition. He has helped the Kings get back to just one game below .500 at 6-7.
What a fantastic matchup we have on our hands to kick off what promises to be an exciting Round 11 in NBL22. Both teams come into this fixture in good winning form, which has made it tough to price for the bookies. However, we just love the way the Kings have looked with Adams steering the offence and believe they’re the value play in a tough betting game.
Brisbane Bullets vs Adelaide 36ers
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, Nissan Arena
Looking to redeem themselves after four losses on the spin, the Bullets will play hosts to the 36ers on Friday night. Most recently they suffered arguably their worst loss of the campaign to date when going down to the undermanned Taipans at home. Admittedly, the team has been without superstar Nathan Sobey for a couple of games, but they still have too much talent available to be on such a streak.
Flying high after a fantastic win in overtime against United last weekend, the 36ers will be looking to produce a similarly strong performance on Friday night. That win over the defending champions was easily their best of the season so far and importantly, it put an end to a three-game losing streak. The 36ers improved to 4-6 on the season and still have plenty of work to do.
Meeting for the first time this season, both the Bullets and the 36ers will be desperate for a win on Friday to get themselves back in contention for a top four spot. With so much on the line, we expect intensity in effort to be high from both teams, which should mean scoring will be at a premium. These teams have struggled to put big scores on the board at the best of times this season and we can’t see that changing much on this occasion, which makes the unders the best play here.
Illawarra Hawks vs Cairns Taipans
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
The Hawks came home with a wet sail in their most recent outing against the Phoenix, but couldn’t find a way to win as they eventually went down by a solitary point. Despite the loss, there were some promising signs that the Hawks were back to some of their better form, which is important considering they’ve lost six of their last nine games and have slipped down to sixth in the standings.
The Taipans were able to get their name back onto the winners list with a superb 102-94 victory over the Bullets in Round 10, which snapped a three-game losing streak. The Snakes have been a hard team to get a read on this season, partly due to their inconsistent form, but also because they’ve played just seven games. Regardless, they’re now 3-4 on the season and can get back to even on the ledger with a win on Saturday night.
These teams met only a fortnight ago in Cairns and it was the travelling Hawks who were far too good en route to a 19-point wire-to-wire win. The Hawks have gone onto lose their next two games since that game, but will have homecourt advantage on their sign when they take on the Snakes on this occasion. With that said, we expect them to make it 2-0 in the season series with a relatively easy win on Saturday night.
Illawarra Hawks -4.5
$1.90
Melbourne United vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
After winning eight straight games and looking every bit like the best team in the competition once again, Melbourne United have gone onto lose each of their last two games and are now in a bit of a funk. Their most recent loss at home to the JackJumpers was easily their most disappointing result of the season, which also cost them top spot in the standings for the time being.
Taking over top spot with a dominant road win over the talented Phoenix last start, the Perth Wildcats look set for another dip at an NBL championship this season. They’ve been on the road ever since Round 5 but have managed to win four of their six games and have put up 84+ points in each of their wins. Impressively, the Wildcats are yet to lose back-to-back games this season, which is why they’re at the top of the tree.
Meeting for the first time since Game 3 in last season’s Grand Final series, Melbourne and Perth will be battling it a top-of-the-table clash. Admittedly, this is an extremely tough game to get a read on in the head-to-head market, but there does look to be plenty of value in the unders in the total points market. Each of the last four meetings between these teams have seen 157 or less points scored and the total for this match has been set at a whopping 167.5. We’ll be taking the unders thanks.
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Sunday 1pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Losers of their last two games on their home deck, the Phoenix will be looking to tighten the screws on defence to give themselves a chance to get back on the winners list. They’ve given up a total of 193 points in their last two games at John Cain Arena, which simply isn’t going to cut it if they have aspirations of winning the championship this season. Regardless, it’s been a solid enough start for the Phoenix who enter this clash with a 7-4 record.
The JackJumpers have enjoyed plenty of success so far in their first season in the NBL. They enter this round as the form team of the competition after winning each of their last four games. Their most recent win over the defending champions in Melbourne United was arguably their most impressive, not only because they were on the road, but also because they poured in 94 points against a great defensive team. The JackJumpers have now improved to 6-6 on the season and are knocking on the door of the top four.
This will be the second meeting between these teams this season, with the Phoenix looking to make it 2-0 after defeating the JackJumpers by 13 points a couple of weeks ago. However, these teams have trended in opposite directions since that clash and now it’s the JackJumpers who are the form team and who will be full of confidence. With that said, getting them at a +7.5 handicap looks too good to refuse.
Tasmania JackJumpers +7.5
$1.86
Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 3pm AEDT, Qudos Bank Arena
Shooting for four straight wins on their home deck, the Kings will be full of confidence ahead of their clash with the Bullets. On top of their recent winning form, they’ve also added NBA veteran and champion Ian Clark to their roster, with the shooting guard expected to suit up on Sunday. The Kings are now arguably the scariest team on paper and will be extremely tough to stop on offence.
The Bullets managed to get back on the winners list with a 77-73 victory over the 36ers to kick off Round 11. Lamar Patterson put on a show with 32 points to guide his team to the win and snap a four-game losing streak. Despite that positive result, the Bullets have underachieved in NBL22 to date and need to find their best form ASAP to avoid slipping too far outside the top four.
The Kings will be one of the most potent teams on offence once they get their chemistry working, but that likely won’t be the case on Sunday with Clark playing his first game for his new team. With that said, the total points line of 170.5 looks at least five to 10 points too high, making the unders a good way to play this one.
