NBL27 Round 2 Predictions & Tips

The 2026/27 NBL season moves into Round 2 this week, with seven games across five days as we begin to get a clearer picture of how the competition is shaping up.

The opening round has already provided plenty to work with. Adelaide edged Melbourne United 97-95 in a thriller, South East Melbourne made an early statement with a 100-79 win in Perth, the New Zealand Breakers opened with an impressive 95-81 victory over Illawarra, while defending champions Sydney started strongly with a 111-90 win over Cairns.

We'll have full betting previews for four games across Round 2: Cairns Taipans v Tasmania JackJumpers, the Melbourne Throwdown between United and the Phoenix, Perth Wildcats v New Zealand Breakers and the NSW derby between Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks. Our analysis and best bets for the remaining three games can be found right here, with this page updated throughout the round as markets, team news and betting opportunities develop.

NBL27 Round 2 Predictions & Tips

Here's our game-by-game look at Round 2 of NBL27. We'll publish separate betting previews for four games, while our selections and analysis for the remaining three matchups will be available directly on this page.

Cairns return home looking to respond after a difficult opening assignment against the defending champion Sydney Kings. The Taipans were handed a 111-90 defeat in Sydney and will be looking for a much better defensive performance in their first home game of NBL27.

Tasmania also enter Round 2 with an early-season turnaround to manage. The trip north to Cairns is rarely straightforward, making home-court advantage and how both sides handle the opening week of the season important factors in this matchup.

We'll publish our full Cairns v Tasmania preview with the latest odds, team news, matchup analysis and best bets ahead of Wednesday night's game.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

The first Throwdown of NBL27 arrives early in the season as Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix meet at John Cain Arena on Thursday night.

The Phoenix made an immediate statement with their 100-79 victory over Perth in Round 1, while United were edged 97-95 by Adelaide in a high-quality season opener. With plenty of offensive talent on both rosters and the usual rivalry between these two clubs, this shapes as one of the standout games of Round 2.

We'll publish our full United v Phoenix preview with the latest odds, matchup analysis and best bets ahead of Thursday night's game.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

There is no shortage of interest surrounding Thursday night's clash in Perth, with Bryce Cotton and Trevor Gleeson returning to RAC Arena with the Adelaide 36ers.

Adelaide opened their campaign with an impressive 97-95 road victory over Melbourne United, while Perth suffered a disappointing 100-79 home defeat against South East Melbourne. The Wildcats therefore have an early opportunity to respond, but Adelaide have already shown they can win away from home.

Cotton's first trip back to RAC Arena in Adelaide colours adds another fascinating element to what should be one of the most anticipated games of the round.

BETTING TIP coming soon! →

Brisbane and Illawarra meet on Friday night with both teams dealing with short turnarounds during the opening week of the season.

The Hawks will be looking for a response after their 95-81 opening loss in New Zealand, where they struggled to contain the Breakers' major offensive weapons. Brisbane's Tuesday night meeting with the Breakers will give us a much clearer indication of where Will Weaver's revamped Bullets sit heading into this matchup.

We'll update our assessment following Tuesday night's game, with Brisbane having only a short turnaround before returning to action on Friday.

BETTING TIP coming soon! →

Saturday night's matchup between Perth and New Zealand is our third full match preview of Round 2.

The Breakers made an excellent start to the Gordon Herbert era with a 95-81 victory over Illawarra, with Sam Mennenga, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and DJ Vasiljevic leading an impressive offensive performance.

There will be plenty more information available before this game arrives. New Zealand face Brisbane on Tuesday, while Perth host Adelaide on Thursday, giving us another opportunity to assess both teams before Saturday night.

We'll publish our full Wildcats v Breakers preview later in the week, including the latest team news, odds, matchup analysis and best bets.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

Adelaide finally play their first home game of NBL27 on Sunday afternoon after beginning their campaign with road trips to Melbourne and Perth.

The 36ers started the season with an impressive 97-95 win over Melbourne United and will have another significant test in Perth on Thursday before returning home. Cairns, meanwhile, host Tasmania on Wednesday after beginning their campaign with a heavy defeat against Sydney.

By Sunday we'll have multiple games of exposed form for both teams, giving us a much stronger base from which to assess the handicap and other betting markets.

BETTING TIP coming soon! →

Round 2 concludes with the first NSW derby of NBL27 as the Sydney Kings host the Illawarra Hawks.

Sydney couldn't have asked for a much better start to their championship defence, producing a dominant 111-90 victory over Cairns. The Kings entered the season with one of the deepest rosters in the competition and immediately demonstrated their offensive firepower.

Illawarra have a considerably busier opening schedule and will be backing up from Friday night's trip to Brisbane. Sydney, meanwhile, have an entire week between games, creating an interesting rest differential heading into Sunday's derby.

We'll publish our full Kings v Hawks betting preview after Friday night's Brisbane v Illawarra game, incorporating the latest form, team news, odds and best bets.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

NBL27 Betting Tips

We'll continue updating our NBL27 Round 2 predictions and betting tips as markets move and team news becomes available. The three quick previews above will be updated with our final selections, while separate match previews will provide more detailed analysis for Cairns v Tasmania, United v Phoenix, Wildcats v Breakers and Kings v Hawks.

You can find our latest individual game previews, NBL betting analysis and best bets throughout the season in our NBL betting tips section.