The final round of the NBL24 regular season is upon us and what a weekend of hoops it promises to be. There’s still so much to play out in the standings, with top six spots still up for grabs and playoffs seedings to be decided. As always, we have you covered with our best bets for every game 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.
NBL24 Round 20 Preview & Betting Tips
Illawarra Hawks vs Perth Wildcats
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, February 15th, WIN Entertainment Centre
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
New Zealand Breakers vs Brisbane Bullets
Friday 5:30pm AEDT, February 16th, Spark Arena
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Cairns Taipans vs Melbourne United
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, February 16th, Cairns Convention Centre
The first and probably only meaningless game of the final round will see the Cairns Taipans take on Melbourne United on Friday night. The Taipans are no longer in the hunt for the top six and are simply playing for pride at this point, while United are on top of the ladder and can’t be caught by the second-placed Wildcats. With that said, United are clearly the superior team although they’ve surprisingly struggled against the Snakes this season, losing both of their matchups to date. Being as competitive and skilled as they are, you can expect United to be keen to get one back on the Snakes as they prepare for another championship tilt. This is certainly not a high-bet game due to the circumstances, but United should be too strong.
Melbourne United -5.5
$1.85 (1 Unit)
SE Melbourne Phoenix vs Sydney Kings
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, February 17th, John Cain Arena
It’s win or go home for the Sydney Kings on Saturday night when they travel to John Cain Arena to take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Kings have had a tumultuous second half of the season and have been unable to win back-to-back games since early November, yet they’re still alive and in the box seat to secure a Play-In berth. Standing in their way are the undermanned Phoenix who have been copping beating after beating over the last couple of months. The Phoenix have managed to win only one of their past nine games, but that came against the Kings only a few weeks ago. Still, under these circumstances it’s incredibly difficult to see them repeating the dose. With that said, you can expect the Kings to bring their all on Saturday night and come away with a strong win.
Sydney Kings -8.5
$1.85 (2 Units)
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8pm AEDT, February 17th, MyState Bank Arena
The Tasmania JackJumpers will take on the Perth Wildcats in the second and final game on Saturday night, with the JackJumpers playing hosts. It’s effectively a dead-rubber game with the Wildcats locked into second and the JackJumpers secure in third, although it’s also a preview of what’s to come in the semi-final’s series between these clubs in a couple of weeks’ time. In saying that, the Wildcats will likely be a different looking team on Saturday with Bryce Cotton a big chance to miss (game-time decision) and Kristian Doolittle also a little banged up. With that in mind, taking the JackJumpers to record a relatively comfortable win seems highly likely.
Tasmania JackJumpers -6.5
$1.85 (2 Units)
Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks
Saturday 2pm AEDT, February 18th, John Cain Arena
Melbourne United never really got out of first gear in their loss against the Taipans on Friday night and bizarrely suffered a 3-0 season sweep against them as a result. Regardless, United have enjoyed a fantastic season and have locked away top spot on the ladder. Meanwhile, the Illawarra Hawks still have it all to play for on Sunday as they eye off a top four finish. They’re currently one win and 0.4% ahead of the Breakers in 5th, but a loss against United here, particularly a heavy one, opens the door for the Breakers to steal 4th spot in the second game of Sunday’s double-header. With that said, you can expect the Hawks to be giving it their all against United and while that still doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily come away with a win, I do think they can at least cover the big handicap.
Illawarra Hawks +8.5
$1.85 (2.5 Units)
Adelaide 36ers vs New Zealand Breakers
Saturday 4pm AEDT, February 18th, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
