The first round of NBL24 has come and gone and what a weekend of hoops it was. We now turn our attention to Round 2 where there are eight games on the schedule, with four double-headers set to play out across Thursday-Sunday. We provide our best bets for all Round 2 NBL games below!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL24 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
Season review: In Round 1 we had two tips fall by 0.5 points, which was a brutal way to get proceedings underway. However, we finished the round only -0.15 units due to both of our 2 unit selections winning.
NBL24 Round 2 Preview & Betting Tips
New Zealand Breakers vs Brisbane Bullets
Thursday 5:30pm AEDT, October 5th, Spark Arena
Despite being without arguably their best player in Will McDowell-White, the Breakers proved far too strong for the Taipans in their first outing. The Breakers did the bulk of their damage in the middle two quarters where they outscored the Snakes 55-36. New import Parker Jackson-Cartwright was the star of the show with 25 points, eight assists and six steals. Elsewhere, the Bullets got their NBL24 campaign off to a great start by easily taking care of the 36ers. They trailed by 10 points at the first break but dominated the night thereafter to stroll home by 15 points. Nathan Sobey looked back to his explosive best with a team-high 18 points, and Rocco Zikarsky had the crowd roaring in his little 28 second cameo in junk time. Although a very small sample size, the Bullets look to be an improved unit in NBL24. However, they go from playing arguably the worst team in the competition in their season opener to taking on one of the best this Thursday night. Not many teams will travel to Spark Arena and come away with a win, and I can’t see the Bullets achieving such a feat. The stacked Breakers should be winning comfortably on their home deck.
New Zealand Breakers -5.5
$1.85 (2 Units)
Cairns Taipans vs SE Melbourne Phoenix
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, October 5th, Cairns Convention Centre
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Sydney Kings
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, October 6th, MyState Bank Arena
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Perth Wildcats vs Adelaide 36ers
Friday 9:30pm AEDT, October 6th, RAC Arena
The Wildcats were one of four teams to play two games in Round 1. They defeated the JackJumpers in a thrilling clash on their home deck first up but were unable to double the dose in their second outing when they were smoked by the Phoenix. Likewise, the 36ers played twice in Round 1 however they lost on both occasions. They lost by 15 points to the Bullets on Friday night and fell by eight points to United on Sunday afternoon. Looking ahead to this Friday night and it’s no surprise to see the Wildcats priced as very short favourites. They have by far the better roster of the two clubs and have proven to be extremely difficult to beat in the Jungle for a very long time. I rate the 36ers roster as the worst it’s been for over a decade and am keen to oppose them at every chance I get in the opening stages of NBL24. Simply put, as long as the Wildcats are switched on, they’ll be winning by double figures on Friday night.
Perth Wildcats -9.5
$1.88 (1.5 Units)
Illawarra Hawks vs SE Melbourne Phoenix
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, October 7th, WIN Entertainment Centre
Disappointing in their opening game of the season, the Hawks will be desperate to get onto the winners list this Saturday night. The Hawks effort and intensity was certainly there in their clash against the Kings, it was just unfortunate that it was one of those nights where nothing seemed to drop. Elsewhere, the Phoenix already have three games under their belts in NBL24 and would be frustrated with their 1-2 record. The Phoenix lost Tyler Cook during the second quarter against the Taipans last outing and looked totally disjointed on offence thereafter. Injuries have plagued this start-studded Phoenix roster for a couple of seasons now and it looks as though they’ve been cursed again this campaign. With Cook expected to miss this clash, the Phoenix will have to play small ball and try to match engines with the Hawks. I didn’t like what I saw when they went small against the Taipans on Thursday night and am more than happy to oppose them here. The Hawks will be desperate to finally win and they won’t get many better opportunities than this.
Illawarra Hawks -2.5
$1.91 (2 Units)
Brisbane Bullets vs Cairns Taipans
Saturday 8pm AEDT, October 7th, Nissan Arena
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Melbourne United vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Sunday 2pm AEDT, October 8th, John Cain Arena
Melbourne United got their campaign off to a terrific start with two wins from as many games in Round 1. They were far too good for both the Phoenix and the 36ers, winning at home and on the road respectively. Also off to a promising start in NBL24 are the JackJumpers. They didn’t quite get the chocolates in their opening clash against the Wildcats in the Jungle, but certainly weren’t disgraced. They then defeated the reigning champions at home in their first game of Round 2, keeping the Kings to only 72 points. The JackJumpers had the game on their terms against the Kings, making sure they used all 24 second on the shot clock on offence and not allowing the Kings to get out and run in transition. I expect them to employ similar tactics against United on Sunday, although United also don’t mind playing a grit and grind type game. With that said, taking the unders in the total points market looks to be a solid play here.
Under 168.5 Points
$1.95 (2 Units)
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers
Sunday 4pm AEDT, October 8th, Qudos Bank Arena
To close out another spectacular round in NBL24 we have the Sydney Kings taking on the Adelaide 36ers. The Kings will be looking to bounce back from a loss against the JackJumpers on Friday night where they managed to put just 72 points on the board. They have an almost entirely different looking roster from the one that won the championship a season ago, so there are sure to be some teething issues early on. Meanwhile, the 36ers are 0-3 so far this campaign but have shown some determination in their last two outings where they’ve managed to keep things tight. In all honestly, this is a game has a lot of unknown surrounding it and is one where I’m reluctant to invest too much hard-earned into. However, the 36ers have fought games out until the end and taking them to cover the big handicap looks like an OK bet here.
Adelaide 36ers +10.5
$1.85 (0.5 Units)
