Round 1 in the brand new NBL24 season will see a double-header play out on Friday night. The second game of the night looks to be the most intriguing and entertaining matchup, with the Wildcats set to play hosts to the JackJumpers. We preview the game below and provide our best bet!
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. Alternatively, you can access the rest of our NBL Round 1 betting tips here!
NBL24 Round 1 Preview & Betting Tips
Perth Wildcats vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Friday 9:30pm AEST, September 29th, RAC Arena
After a couple of poor seasons by their lofty standards, the Perth Wildcats will be itching to get NBL24 underway. They’ve failed to feature in the finals in each of the past two campaigns despite making it to the postseason in 35 straight seasons prior.
Clearly not settling for mediocrity, the Wildcats front office made a couple of big changes to their team’s roster in the offseason. Superstar Bryce Cotton remains the head of the Snake, but joining him is star centre Keanu Pinder, as well as highly-touted 18-year-old Next Star Alexandre Sarr. That trio alone will make the Wildcats one of the most exciting teams to watch in NBL24.
John Rillie returns for his second season as head coach and will need to improve his win/loss record to remain in that role. The Wildcats were destroyed on the glass all NBL23 and improving in that area will surely be his main focus.
Meanwhile, the Tasmania JackJumpers will be aiming to make it three trips to the finals in as many NBL campaigns when they take to the floor in NBL24. The JackJumpers have enjoyed immediate success since joining the competition in NBL22 but are still shooting for their first Championship.
The JackJumpers haven’t been a team with high roster turnover in their early goings in the competition, and that was the case again this offseason. However, they have made a couple of savvy changes that they’ll hope will propel them back into Championship contention.
NBA veteran Jordon Crawford is a solid combo guard that will be a constant presence on offence, while Marcus Lee is a big man that will protect the rim and clean the glass. Importantly, Milton Doyle is back again and will be the focal point when buckets are in need.
Match prediction: The JackJumpers are a team that always play with a chip on their shoulder and that’s encouraged by coach Scott Roth. They actively scout for players that play the ‘JackJumper way’ and that’s been one of the reasons why they’ve enjoyed plenty of success throughout their first two seasons.
However, the JackJumpers have also been slow starters in both campaigns and they face arguably the toughest task in NBL basketball first up. Rarely do the Wildcats lose at home, particularly in a home opener when fans will be at their loudest. With that said, I can’t see how this star-studded Wildcats lineup loses on Friday night, and I expect them to be covering the spread.
Perth Wildcats -6.5
$1.94 (1 Unit)
