Round 3 in the new NBL24 season is now upon us and there are seven games to look forward to across four days (Thursday-Sunday). Both the Cairns Taipans and the New Zealand Breakers won’t be in action this weekend, as they’re currently taking on some NBA teams in the USA, although all eight other clubs will be taking to the courts. We bring you our best bets for all seven Round 3 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: Round 2 was a positive round for us as we went +1.77u. We’re now +1.62u for the season.
NBL24 Round 3 Preview & Betting Tips
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Illawarra Hawks
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, October 12th, MyState Bank Arena
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Brisbane Bullets vs Sydney Kings
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, October 13th, Nissan Arena
After starting the season with two wins in as many games, the Bullets couldn’t repeat the dose third up against the Taipans. They tried their best to rally home late without the now suspended Aron Baynes (missing for the next five games), but eventually fell by three points. Back up centre Tyrell Harrison will have to step up on Friday night, as will Next Star Rocco Zikarsky. Meanwhile, the Kings suffered their first loss of the season in Round 2 when they were defeated by the JackJumpers, although they quickly bounced back against the lacklustre 36ers in their most recent outing. Now at 2-1, the Kings would be comfortable with their start to the season considering their huge roster turnover. The Kings now have the perfect opportunity to secure their third win of the season against the Bullets who will be undermanned. They’ve been notoriously strong on the road in recent campaigns and they should be taking care of business in this one.
Sydney Kings -4
$1.89 (1 Unit)
Perth Wildcats vs Melbourne United
Friday 9:30pm AEDT, October 13th, RAC Arena
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Adelaide 36ers vs Illawarra Hawks
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, October 14th, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The Adelaide 36ers began the season on the backfoot when they released one of their imports and unfortunately bad has gone to worse. They currently sit at 0-4 in the standings and no team has come back from such a start to make the playoffs in over 20 NBL seasons. Meanwhile, last season’s Wooden Spooners in the Illawarra Hawks will also be looking to improve on what’s been a disappointing start to their campaign. Unlike their counterparts, the Hawks have ticked over the win column once this season, saluting against the Phoenix in a shoutout over a week ago. I think it’s fair to say that neither of these sides are expected to make much noise when the whips are cracking in NBL24, however, the Hawks have shown more positive signs compared to their upcoming opponents. With that said, I’m prepared to back the underdog Hawks for a solitary unit.
Illawarra Hawks to win
$2.15 (1 Unit)
SE Melbourne Phoenix vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Saturday 8pm AEDT, October 14th, John Cain Arena
The Phoenix headed into NBL24 full of optimism and justifiably so considering the talent they have on their roster. However, injuries have struck once again and it’s been causing them all sorts of problems on the defensive end. They’re currently depleted in the big man department and are giving up points at will in the paint. Elsewhere, the JackJumpers are absolutely flying with three wins on the spin. They’ve defeated quality outfits in the Kings and United and now get a seemingly easier matchup on Saturday night. I’m surprised the JackJumpers aren’t shorter favourites here and am more than happy to have a decent crack at them at the small handicap.
Tasmania JackJumpers -2.5
$1.86 (2 Units)
Melbourne United vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 2pm AEDT, October 15th, John Cain Arena
Kicking off Sunday’s double-header is a juicy clash between the 3-1 United and the 2-2 Bullets. United got the chocolates out West in their first game of Round 3, continuing their recent dominance against the Wildcats in the Jungle. Meanwhile, the Bullets fell to the Kings in a shootout in their matchup on Friday night which was the first of five games where they’ll be without Centre Aron Baynes. Without Baynes taking care of business in the paint, the Bullets looked extremely vulnerable on the defensive end on Friday night and it’ll be interesting to see how they adapt in their second outing in Round 3. Regardless, I think they’ll struggle to put points on the board against a United outfit that has limited their opposition to 81 points or less in all four games to date.
Bullets Under 81.5 Points
$1.95 (1.5 Units)
Sydney Kings vs Perth Wildcats
Sunday 4pm AEDT, October 15th, Qudos Bank Arena
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