The second game of Friday night’s NBL23 Round 18 double-header should be an absolute cracker! The Perth Wildcats will play hosts to the Cairns Taipans in a game that has massive finals implications.
Jake Smit has analysed the form to bring you his preview and best bet for this pivotal game which you can find below.
And make sure to click here to check out our best bets for all NBL Round 18 games.
Perth Wildcats vs Cairns Taipans Preview & Betting Tips
Friday Feb 3, 9:30pm AEDT, RAC Arena
Regular season games don’t get much bigger than the one we’ve got on our hands at RAC Arena on Friday night.
The Perth Wildcats, after missing the playoffs for the first time in 35 seasons last campaign, require a win to clinch a top six finish and book themselves a spot in the inaugural play-in tournament.
Standing in their way are the Cairns Taipans who are eyeing off a top two finish and automatic finals qualification, which would be a remarkable turnaround after their ninth-place finish in NBL22.
With so much on the line for both ball clubs, it’s gut check time in Perth for Friday night hoops.
It’s been a little over six weeks since these teams faced each other, which is a long time in NBL terms.
Their meeting at the Cairns Convention Centre on December 20 went the way of the Wildcats in a wire-to-wire blowout (105-83) after a dominant 27-17 opening term by the visitors.
The only other previous matchup this season was back on October 10 in Cairns when the Wildcats dominated the Snakes by 29 points (105-76). It was the visitors second quarter onslaught that did the damage on that occasion (37-13).
Bryce Cotton put together a pair of 24-point performances to lead the Wildcats in scoring in both games against the Snakes. That comes as no surprise considering he leads the NBL in that category.
Keanu Pinder was the shining light for the home side in their first meeting with 18 points and 15 rebounds, but it’s likely he will play no part in their battle on Friday night due to an orbital fracture.
In their second game, DJ Hogg led the Snakes with 24 points and eight rebounds, although they were some empty stats considering the outcome of the game.
The Wildcats will now get their chance to play hosts in this matchup for the first time in NBL23 and to say they’ll be confident in their chances of grinding out a win is an understatement.
The Red Army have seen their side defeat the Snakes on six straight occasions at RAC Arena and 10 times in a row if they’ve been tuning into Kayo for their road games.
All the major statistics point towards another win for the Wildcats on their home deck and I tend to agree with the numbers on this occasion.
They should be too strong in a must-win game, and I like their chances of covering the small spread for a couple of units.
Perth Wildcats -3.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
