The second game of Friday night’s NBL23 double-header will see the Wildcats and the Phoenix lock horns at State Basketball Centre in Melbourne! Jake Smit provides his analysis and best bet for the game right here!
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Perth Wildcats vs Sydney Kings Preview & Betting Tips
Friday Jan 20, 9:30pm AEDT, RAC Arena
Just about every game until the end of the regular season will have massive finals implications and this one is no exception.
The Perth Wildcats will face the toughest test in the NBL on Friday night when they host the Sydney Kings at RAC Arena.
Due to consistency over a couple of seasons coupled with their otherworldly road form, the Kings will start as the hot favourites to extend their winning streak to seven.
It’s been well documented just how good the Kings have been on their travels over the last two seasons and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
Their 8-2 road record is better than their home record (9-3) and it’s also better than other team’s home or away record in the competition.
Last time the Kings hit the road was in Brisbane when they destroyed the Bullets by a record 49 points (116-67). They won each quarter by at least three points in that wire-to-wire domination.
More recently, the Kings defeated the Hawks in the Freeway Series yet again to complete a 4-0 sweep of their crosstown rivals.
Xavier Cooks had one of his quietest games of the season when attempting only four shots against the Hawks. Still, he’s having an MVP calibre season and is likely the clubhouse leader at this point.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats will be eyeing off their fourth straight win in front of their home fans.
They outlasted the Breakers in a 93-90 thriller to kick off Round 15 before easily accounting for the 36ers in an offensive onslaught (112-97). The 112 points they put up was easily their highest score of NBL23.
The Wildcats are finding some of their better form at the exact right moment. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games and are now in the box seat for a top four finish, granting them a significant advantage in the new-look play-in series.
Brady Manek’s improved performances have been one of the catalysts for their changes in fortunes. He’s attacking the glass with a lot more ferocity and has also been extremely reliable shooting the ball from deep (38.8% on the season).
This will be just the second meeting between these teams this season, with one more to come after their battle on Friday night.
The Kings took the honours on January 7th by a comfortable 21 points (108-87) when they played hosts at Qudos Bank Arena. They led that game by double-figures at the end of every quarter in what was largely a non-contest.
The Kings have now won four in a row against the Wildcats and three of those wins have been by 15+ points.
The Wildcats improved form should see them get a touch closer this time around, but they still haven’t shown enough for me to believe they’ll get within five points and cover the spread.
Sydney Kings -4.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
