Round 14 in NBL25 gets underway on Boxing Day and runs through until New Year’s Eve, with games on every day in-between. Seven games in total make up the round’s action and we have you covered with previews and best bets for each of them below. Good luck to everyone following our tips and most importantly, have a safe and happy holidays!
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NBL25 Round 14 Preview & Betting Tips
Cairns Taipans vs Melbourne United
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT (Dec 26), Cairns Convention Centre
Brisbane Bullets vs Illawarra Hawks
Friday 7:30pm AEDT (Dec 27), Brisbane Entertainment Centre
It’s a fantastic Friday night game in Round 14 with a couple of the in-form teams in the competition coming together in Brisbane. The Bullets have won six of their last eight games including four in a row on their home deck, while the Hawks are currently riding a four-game win streak, with two of them coming against the Wildcats and the other two against fellow contenders in United and the Kings.
The bad news for the Bullets is the recent injury update of James Batemon. The three-point flamethrower injured his hamstring last weekend and is now set to miss the remainder of NBL25. The good news is Isaac White started in his absence against the 36ers and poured in a career-high 22 points. Meanwhile, the Hawks have a clean bill of health coming into the busiest period of their schedule.
These two clubs are ranked in the top three for points per game this season, with the Hawks putting up 101.1 per contest and the Bullets a ticker under 97. The area that separates these clubs is on the defensive end, as the Hawks give up only 91 per game to the Bullets at over 96. And while both clubs have excellent three-point shooting and are happy to push the pace, the elite defence of the Hawks should be enough to keep the total points under the current line which is currently a huge 206.5 points.
Under 206.5 Points
$1.95 (1 Unit)
Adelaide 36ers vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8:00pm AEDT (Dec 28), Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 2:30pm AEDT (Dec 29), MyState Bank Arena
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers
Monday 7:30pm AEDT (Dec 30), Qudos Bank Arena
The Sydney Kings are back in action on Monday night as they play host to the Adelaide 36ers. The Kings lost by three points on Christmas night against the Hawks in their most recent outing, which made it three straight losses against their rivals. They also had their three-game winning streak in NBL25 snapped in the process, although they remain in third spot in the standings and can keep the pressure on United in second with a win in this one.
Meanwhile, the 36ers season is in freefall on the back of seven losses from their past eight games. There seems to be a distinct disconnect between players and coaches, and they enter this game having lost three straight games by 20+ points. Star import, Montrezl Harrell continues to make his frustrations both seen and heard, and he was even relegated to a sixth man role in their recent outing against the Wildcats.
The Kings are in some of their best form of NBL25 and will start as the overwhelming favourites on their home deck on Monday night. A big reason for that is the horrible form of their opponents in the 36ers who look wildly disinterested right now. Unless something drastic changes in this game, the Kings will be very comfortable winners.
Kings -7.5
$1.80 (1.5 Units)
Illawarra Hawks vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Tuesday 5:30pm AEDT (Dec 31), WIN Entertainment Centre
It’s a cracking contest we have on our hands here between two teams I see as legitimate contenders in NBL25. The Hawks have looked every bit a contender since they first stepped onto the court this season, whereas the Phoenix have found their best form since a change of coach occurred after a 0-5 start.
The Hawks enter New Year’s Eve riding a five-game win streak, four of which came on the road in an impressive run of games. They most recently took down the Bullets in Brisbane by 18 points, but now return back to the ‘Gong where they’ve also won three straight games. Meanwhile, the Phoenix have won 9/14 games since parting ways with Mike Kelly, although their last six victories have been on home soil.
The Phoenix will need to drastically improve on their recent road form to compete with the ladder-leading Hawks; however, I have faith that they can do just that now that Derrick Walton Jr. is back in cracking form. With him, Sobey, and Hurt all playing great basketball, the Phoenix can make this a lot closer than their current odds.
Phoenix +7.5
$1.91 (1.5 Units)
Cairns Taipans vs New Zealand Breakers
Tuesday 7:30pm AEDT (Dec 31), Cairns Convention Centre
The two worst clubs in the competition come together in the final game of the year as they look to head into 2025 with some kind of positivity. The Snakes are riding a disgraceful 14-game losing streak, while the Breakers are not too far behind with eight losses in a row.
The big news coming into this game is the five-game suspension dealt to Breakers star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright. He’s been the only above average performer for the Breakers this season, so to see him miss the next five games is brutal for the already dismal Breakers. The other shining light has been Next Star Karim Lopez, but he’s also likely to miss this game with an ankle injury.
For the Snakes, well they’ve been competitive of late and are probably unlucky to still be riding their current losing streak. The good news is their core is all back fit and healthy, so there are now excuses moving forward.
It’s strange to see a team on a 14-game losing streak priced as such short favourites, with the Snakes currently around the $1.30 mark to win on Tuesday night. However, the Breakers have been getting absolutely pummelled in recent games and now don’t even have PJC to lean on. It’s certainly a low-bet game for me, but you have to side with the Snakes to win this one.
Taipans -6.5
$1.91 (1 Unit)
