After a quieter Round 7, the NBL24 schedule ramps up again in Round 8 with seven games on the cards. Action begins on Thursday night with a double-header and concluded on Sunday afternoon. We bring you our best bets for all seven Round 8 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.
NBL24 Round 8 Preview & Betting Tips
Tasmania JackJumpers vs New Zealand Breakers
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, November 16th, Silverdome
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Perth Wildcats vs Cairns Taipans
Thursday 9:30pm AEDT, November 16th, RAC Arena
After a tough start to the season the Perth Wildcats have seemingly finally hit their straps. They’ve strung together three wins in a row, tough of which were by double-figures while the other was against the top-of-the-table United. The Wildcats resurgence has coincided with superstar Bryce Cotton returning to some of his best form. He absolutely poured it in against the Breakers last start to finish with a season-high 37 points. In contrast, the Cairns Taipans have lost two of their last three games and their only win during that span was last time out against the bottom-dwellers in the Hawks. The Taipans have had a tough run with injury but are likely to get Bobi Klintman and Pat Miller back this weekend. Regardless, the Wildcats are clearly the form team in this matchup and are the deserving favourites. The Snakes have failed to cover the spread in each of their last two away games and I expect that streak to extend to three.
Perth Wildcats -5.5
$1.88 (1 Unit)
Adelaide 36ers vs SE Melbourne Phoenix
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, November 17th, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
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Cairns Taipans vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, November 18th, Cairns Convention Centre
The Taipans were unable to produce their best basketball in their opening game of Round 8 when losing on the road against the Wildcats by eight points. Despite being back to full strength, they struggled to generate enough good looks on offence. A lack of perimeter shooting has been evident in most of the Taipans games this season, and perhaps coach Adam Forde will have to make some lineup adjustments to help space the floor. Likewise, the JackJumpers lost their opening game of Round 8 against the Breakers. They rallied home late to give themselves a winning chance like they always do, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line. On a positive note, Will Magnay was in fantastic form and looks to be back to his best. The JackJumpers haven’t been as effective on the defensive end this season as they were in NBL23, but they should find it easier to limit this Taipans outfit. Each of the last eight Taipans games have gone under the total points line and I expect that trend to continue.
Under 170.5 Points
$1.95 (2 Units)
Brisbane Bullets vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8pm AEDT, November 18th, Nissan Arena
The Bullets season has been one of runs to date, both positive and negative. They won their first two, lost their next four, won their next three, and are now riding a two-game losing streak. Encouragingly, the Bullets will return to their home deck this round where they’ve won two in a row and 3/5 overall. Similarly, the Wildcats have had a roller coaster NBL24 season so far. All hell was about to break loose when they were on a four-game slide, but they’ve responded with four wins in a row and come into Saturday night’s clash with a positive 6-5 record. However, the Wildcats have struggled on the road this season with only one win to their name from four outings, and that came in overtime against United in Round 6. They have a lot more to prove on the road before they deserve to be starting as favourites, particularly against the Bullets who have been strong at home. With that said, I’ll be taking the Bullets to protect home court in this matchup.
Brisbane Bullets to Win
$2 (1.5 Units)
New Zealand Breakers vs Illawarra Hawks
Sunday 2pm AEDT, November 19th, Spark Arena
The Breakers secured a crucial win on the road against the JackJumpers to begin Round 8, easily producing their best performance of the season with their backs against the wall. Unfortunately, it came at a cost with Will McDowell-White suffering a fractured foot which will keep him on the sidelines for six weeks. Elsewhere, the Hawks continue to dish up poor performances and their record is beginning to get out of hand as a result. They’re firmly glued to the bottom of the standings and will remain there to finish Round 8 regardless of results. The line for this game has been set at -6.5 points with the Breakers obviously listed as favourites. I expect them to cover that but will only be staking 1 unit due to their inconsistencies this season.
New Zealand Breakers -6.5
$1.86 (1 Unit)
Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings
Sunday 4pm AEDT, November 19th, John Cain Arena
Two of the league’s top championship contenders will come together in the final game of Round 8, with Melbourne United playing hosts to the Sydney Kings. United were able to win as the underdogs in their most recent outing against the Phoenix despite being heavily undermanned. It was another reminder that they have by far the best depth in the competition. Likewise, the Kings were winners in their last start against the Bullets to make it three straight victories. The Kings have also had three straight wins against United although all of them were in NBL23 when they went onto win the championship. United are a much better side this time around and will be confident they can get one back against their old rivals on their home deck. I share the same sentiments and am keen to back them in at the moneyline.
Melbourne United to Win
$1.84 (1.5 Units)
