Round 14 of the NBL season kicks off this Wednesday with a big double header, headlined by the Sydney Kings and South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Kings are sitting pretty on top of the ladder and the reigning champs look the team to beat again this season. Meanwhile the Phoenix have struggled through the Christmas period and will need to bounce back from their efforts against Tasmania to stay in touch with the top six.
Greg Davis hits the floor running with his preview and NBL betting tips for the Kings vs Phoenix below! If you're looking to bet on the NBL then why not check out Dabble? You can follow and copy the bets of other punters, including the BYB team, with a single click. Have a Dabble today!
Sydney Kings vs South East Melbourne Phoenix Preview & Betting Tips
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Wednesday 7.30pm (AEDT)
There are no two ways about it – the form line for this runs straight through the middle of the Apple Isle.
The Tasmania JackJumpers will be nowhere near the top four clash between the ladder-leading Sydney and South East Melbourne in what is a re-match of the December 18 double overtime thriller in Gippsland.
But the Jackies have their fingerprints all over the build-up to the return bout.
The instant classic of December 18 between the Kings and Phoenix was clearly the game of the season. Pundits arguing that it was the greatest match in NBL history need to remember that the league existed before the current ownership took control.
The Phoenix got the chocolates with a 113-112 victory that included 46 points from their talisman Mitch Creek while Derrick Walton Jnr had 45 for the reigning champs.
It was an absolute cracker.
The same cannot be said of Sydney’s most recent outing – a 97-77 thumping of Tasmania on December 30.
Five Kings players finished with double figures in the points column, they out-rebounded the men in green by 38-20 and they shot at a remarkable clip of 69 percent from the field (38 from 55).
Fast-forward two days and Tassie were back at home on New Year’s Day against the Phoenix.
It was not a classic either. The JackJumpers belted the visitors by 99-74 in Hobart where South East Melbourne committed a whopping 25 turnovers with the home side scoring 32 points directly from them.
The Phoenix allowed Tassie to drag in 20 offensive boards as only two South East Melbourne players got into double figures – Alan Williams and Creek.
The normally defence-orientated JackJumpers raced to 57 points by halftime after dominating the first term by 32-18.
So, what do we make of that mess?
The JackJumpers were on fire at home against the Phoenix, clearly very motivated to make amends for being so ice-cold in the clash with the Kings in the grand final re-match.
The Phoenix have lost their last two and need to snap out of this funk with Perth breathing down their necks on the ladder in the battle for fourth spot.
South East Melbourne have to play the Kings and Cairns twice in the run home to the play-offs as well as Perth, Tasmania and Brisbane. They need to stand up and show who the real Phoenix are.
They will not be as bad as they were in Hobart and they will certainly be looking after the ball better. They cannot get any worse on the turnover front.
The Kings are looking the business though in the middle of a four-game homestand. It is hard to see them missing the grand final and they normally feast on teams who are down on troops and confidence.
You’d love to see a repeat of the double overtime blockbuster but the teams are in vastly different spaces than they were three weeks ago.
Ferris Bueller was right, life moves pretty fast. Kings to win and win well.
Sydney to win by 11+
$2.40
