After a week off due to an international break, NBL25 action returns this weekend with Round 10. It’s a seven-game round for fans to dive into, and the first of those games begins on Thursday night. We enter Round 10 with a 39-29 (+5.86 Units) record with our betting tips for the season, and have you covered with our best bets for each game below!
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NBL25 Round 10 Preview & Betting Tips
Illawarra Hawks vs New Zealand Breakers
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
Cairns Taipans vs Sydney Kings
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, Cairns Convention Centre
Perth Wildcats vs Brisbane Bullets
Friday 9:30pm AEDT, RAC Arena
These clubs faced just before the FIBA break and will face off again just after it. The Bullets took the chocolates comfortably in their November 17 battle, running home 21-point winners in front of their home fans. The Wildcats will now get their chance to play host on Friday night at RAC Arena where they’ve been a force so far this season, with four wins on the spin and five overall.
It was the James Batemon Show a fortnight ago when these clubs met, as the import guard poured in a whopping 51 points to break all kinds of records. The Wildcats simply had no answer on the defensive end, which was the exact same case two starts back when United’s Chris Goulding dropped 46 on them. The good news for the Wildcats is they return home for this one and will now likely have a fit Kristian Doolittle to help their cause.
With Doolittle likely back and Bryce Cotton now injury free, as well as home court advantage on their side, I like this spot for the Wildcats. They’ve put up 87+ points in six of their seven home games this season and have the ability to simply overpower the Bullets here. I’m a touch wary due to what transpired in their last meeting, but I’m still comfortably playing one unit on the Wildcats line.
Wildcats -5.5
$1.87 (1 Unit)
South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Illawarra Hawks
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
The FIBA break came at the right time for the Phoenix as they had just come off their biggest defeat since Josh King took over as head coach. Their 13-point loss against the Wildcats is also their biggest defeat of the season, and it was their second defeat in a row on the road. The good news is they now return home to John Cain Arena where they’ve won their past two games by 24 and 23 points, and they’ll be expecting another strong showing on Saturday night.
The Hawks will be playing their second game in three days when they take to the court on Saturday. However, they didn’t have to exert a whole heap of energy in their thrashing of the Breakers on Thursday night, coming home 109-71 winners. That made it back-to-back wins for the Hawks since they lost a pair of games between Rounds 7-8. The Hawks now have all their weaponry fit and firing, with only Dan Grida currently listed on the injury report.
These clubs met in Melbourne in Round 6 and it was the Hawks who came away with a six-point road win. That was the final game with interim coach Sam Mackinnon in charge, with King taking over the following week. The Hawks have only become stronger since that clash and despite some shaky performances on the road in recent weeks, I still see them as value in this one.
Hawks -2.5
$1.91 (1 Unit)
Adelaide 36ers vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Saturday 8:00pm AEDT, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The international break certainly wasn’t a relaxing one for the 36ers, as they were caught up in the players vs spectator saga that eventually saw Montrezl Harrell suspended for three games and Kendric Davis for two. Considering the pair are both in the top 3 in the league for points per game, it’s a big blow for the 36ers over the next couple of weeks. Still, they have a positive record at 6-5 and there’s a long way to go in NBL25.
The week off probably came at a bad time for the JackJumpers are they were just finally starting to find their footing in the season. They entered the break on a two-game win streak, and that’s the first time for the entire season where they’ve won two on the spin. The JackJumpers still have a lot of work to do at 5-8, but they certainly look to be on the right path. In injury news, Sean McDonald successful made his return from a foot injury last round, although Jordon Crawford will miss this game with a concussion.
Crawford is a big out for the JackJumpers, but his absence isn’t nearly as impactful as the loss of both Harrell and Davis for the 36ers. They’re their team’s #1 and #2 options on offence, and that leaves a tremendous amount of responsibility on the likes of DJ Vasiljevic to carry the scoring load. I don’t think the 36ers have the depth to fill the void of the suspended players, and I like the seemingly in-form JackJumpers to win as a result.
JackJumpers -3.5
$1.80 (1.5 Units)
Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings
Sunday 2:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Melbourne United had the busiest schedule of all 10 teams through the opening nine rounds, so a week off for the FIBA break was exactly what they needed. In saying that, they headed into their week off with a full head of steam on the back of three straight wins, all of which were by comfortable margins. As a result, United currently sit on top of the NBL standings with a 10-4 record and are now the outright championship favourites.
The Kings have already played one game in Round 10 and it was a good one, as they came away from Cairns with a six-point win against the Snakes. Cam Oliver was injected into the starting lineup and was a force on both ends of the floor, finishing the game with 26 points and three blocks. Jaylen Adams also stuffed the stat sheet in the win (22/7/6), and the Kings have now won three of their last four games. They enter Sunday in fourth spot on the ladder but can finish the day in as high as second.
It's always a great spectacle when these two powerhouse clubs come together, and their meeting this weekend should be another cracker. United are currently priced as the clear favourites due to their superior consistency coupled with home court advantage, but I do think there’s some value in the Kings line here. The Kings were locked in on the defensive end on Friday night and if they can brings similar effort on that end of the floor here, then they should be right in this one.
Kings +5.5
$1.87 (1 Unit)
Perth Wildcats vs New Zealand Breakers
Sunday 4:30pm AEDT, RAC Arena
The Wildcats were in action against the Bullets on Friday night and ran home very easy 28-point winners to avenge their recent defeat. That win also made it five in a row at RAC Arena and impressively, they’ve averaged 100.4 points per contest in that span. They now sit in fifth spot in the standings with a 7-7 record and will be aiming to secure back-to-back wins for just the second time this campaign.
In contrast, the Breakers were thumped by 38 points in their opening game of Round 10 in an embarrassing performance against the Hawks. That made it two losses from their past three games both overall and on the road. However, the Breakers remain in second spot on the ladder with a 7-4 record, such is the tightness of the competition this season.
These clubs met around six weeks ago in New Zealand and it was the Breakers who came out on top by four points in an entertaining game. However, the Wildcats now get their chance to play host and are a completely different beast in front of their home fans. It’s no surprise to see them priced as the clear favourites, and I expect them to be winning on this occasion.
Wildcats -4.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
