NBL27 Round 3 Predictions & Tips

The 2026/27 NBL season moves into Round 3 this week, with a packed nine-game schedule running from Wednesday through to Sunday.

Round 3 also marks the beginning of the NBL27 Ignite Cup, with Wednesday night's New Zealand Breakers v Cairns Taipans and Sydney Kings v Brisbane Bullets games opening the midweek action before another busy weekend of NBL basketball.

We'll have full betting previews for five games across Round 3: Sydney Kings v Brisbane Bullets, Tasmania JackJumpers v Melbourne United, Illawarra Hawks v Adelaide 36ers, Melbourne United v Cairns Taipans and South East Melbourne Phoenix v Illawarra Hawks. Our analysis and best bets for the remaining four games will be added directly to this page as markets, team news and betting opportunities develop.

NBL27 Round 3 Predictions & Tips

Here's our game-by-game look at Round 3 of NBL27. We'll publish separate betting previews for five games, while our selections and analysis for the other four matchups will be available directly on this page.

Round 3 gets underway in Auckland with the New Zealand Breakers hosting Cairns in the opening game of the round.

The Breakers have been one of the more interesting teams through the opening fortnight, while Cairns face another road assignment as Adam Forde continues to develop his new-look Taipans roster.

With both sides already having several games of exposed form, Wednesday's matchup should give us a better opportunity to assess the handicap and player markets than we had during the opening rounds.

Sydney and Brisbane meet on Wednesday night, with Bullets coach Will Weaver returning to Sydney to face his former club.

The Kings entered NBL27 as defending champions and again possess one of the deepest rosters in the competition as they've showed over the first two rounds. Brisbane's revamped lineup faces a significant road test, particularly against Sydney's size, depth and scoring options.

The opening fortnight has also given us more information about how Weaver intends to use his new Bullets roster, making this an intriguing matchup from both a team and player-prop betting perspective.

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

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

Thursday night's standalone game takes Melbourne United to Hobart for a difficult road assignment against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Tasmania remain one of the NBL's toughest teams to face at MyState Bank Arena, while United's experienced roster gives them the personnel to handle the physical style the JackJumpers typically bring at home.

The JackJumpers will be sweating the fitness of a number of players as they look to put their best lineup out there against a strong United team.

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

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

Friday night begins with Illawarra returning home to face an Adelaide side carrying significant expectations into NBL27.

Bryce Cotton gives the 36ers one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league, while the Hawks have struggled through the opening rounds and will be desperate to get some momentum going, otherwise it may be a long season ahead.

Adelaide's revamped roster has already made them one of the most closely watched teams of the new season, and Friday night's road trip to Wollongong provides another useful test.

We'll publish our full Hawks v 36ers preview with the latest form, team news, odds, matchup analysis and best bets ahead of Friday night's game.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

Perth and South East Melbourne meet at RAC Arena on Friday night in an early rematch after the Phoenix produced an impressive victory in Perth during the opening round.

That result gives this matchup some immediate context, but both teams have now had additional games to settle into the new season. The Wildcats will be particularly keen to produce a much stronger performance on their home floor.

The first meeting should also give both coaching staffs plenty to work with tactically, making the market movement during the week worth watching.

Brisbane return home on Saturday to host Tasmania, with both teams backing up from games earlier in Round 3.

The JackJumpers face Melbourne on Thursday night before travelling north, while Brisbane will have an extra day of recovery following Wednesday's trip to Sydney. That turnaround and travel schedule will be worth considering when assessing the handicap.

We'll update this matchup following the midweek games, when we'll have the latest form and team news for both sides.

Melbourne United return to John Cain Arena on Saturday night to host the Cairns Taipans, with both teams playing their second games of Round 3.

United will be backing up from Thursday night's trip to Tasmania, while Cairns have the longer turnaround after facing the Breakers in Auckland on Wednesday.

Those midweek games should give us an excellent lead into Saturday's matchup, particularly when assessing the handicap, total and player-prop markets.

We'll publish our full United v Taipans preview after the midweek games, incorporating the latest form, team news, odds and best bets.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

South East Melbourne and Illawarra begin Sunday's NBL action at John Cain Arena, with both teams facing short turnarounds following Friday night games.

The Phoenix return from Perth after facing the Wildcats, while Illawarra travel south following their home clash with Adelaide. How each team handles the two-game weekend will therefore be an important consideration.

We'll also have another game of exposed form for both sides before assessing Sunday's markets, which should create several potential angles across the match line, total and player props.

We'll publish our full Phoenix v Hawks preview following Friday night's games, with the latest odds, team news, matchup analysis and best bets.

READ FULL PREVIEW - coming soon! →

Round 3 concludes in Adelaide as the 36ers host the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday afternoon.

Adelaide are one of the genuine contenders for NBL27, while the Breakers will arrive having already faced Cairns earlier in Round 3 and looking forward to the challenge against a top side.

Adelaide will also be backing up from Friday night's trip to Wollongong, giving us another game of exposed form for both teams before assessing Sunday's markets.

NBL27 Betting Tips

We'll continue updating our NBL27 Round 3 predictions and betting tips throughout the week as markets move and team news becomes available. The four quick previews above will be updated with our final selections, while separate match previews will provide more detailed analysis for Kings v Bullets, JackJumpers v United, Hawks v 36ers, United v Taipans and Phoenix 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.