NBL25 Round 5 begins on Thursday night with the Bullets hosting the Breakers at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. These clubs have contrasting form lines with the Bullets finally getting their first win last start, while the Breakers are undefeated albeit from only two outings. Regardless, it should be a great battle to kick off Round 5, and we bring you our full betting preview below!
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NBL25 Round 5 Preview & Betting Tips
Brisbane Bullets vs New Zealand Breakers
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Bullets finally registered their first win of the season last weekend when taking down the Phoenix in a battle of the bottom two. The Bullets had to do it the hard way and tried their best to throw the game away late in the fourth with some sloppy turnovers, but eventually won by two points in Melbourne (87-85).
Import guard James Batemon was relegated to a bench role against the Phoenix after struggling mightily in the opening three games of the season, but he found his groove last weekend with 20 points which included six threes. Tyrell Harrison was far and away the Bullets best however, with the big man finishing the game with 21 points and 17 boards.
On the injury front, highly-touted recruit Deng Adel was sidelined in Round 4 with illness but is expected to be available on Thursday night. Whether or not he assumes his place in the starting five remains to be seen considering the team’s success in his absence last start.
The New Zealand Breakers have returned back to the NBL after spending the last two rounds in the USA as part of the NBLxNBA series. It was a largely unsuccessful trip for the Breakers at least from a results standpoint, with their three games resulting in a 29-point loss to the Jazz, 55-point belting against the 76ers, and a 28-point loss against the Thunder.
The good news for the Breakers is they return to the NBL as the only remaining undefeated club. They recorded a four-point Round 1 win against the Bullets in Perth, before taking down the Phoenix by two points at home in Round 2.
Another positive for the Breakers is their injury list, or lack thereof. They have no players listed on the official NBL25 injury list at the time of writing (Wed, Oct 16).
Game Prediction: There are a few things to consider here. Firstly, these sides met at the neutral RAC Arena in Round 1 and the Breakers came away with a four-point win. They led that game by a substantial amount for most of the way before the Bullets made a mighty comeback in the fourth quarter to make things interesting.
The second thing to consider is the effect that the busy travel schedule will have had on the Breakers. They’ll have only been back in the country for around five days before tip-off on Thursday night, and readjusting to the time zone and style of play in the NBL will be a factor. The Breakers took part in the NBLxNBA series last season and lost their first three games back by an average of eight points.
There was little splitting these teams in their first meeting this season. However, the Bullets now have the advantage of homecourt, rest, as well as a recent win under their belt. These factors have me leaning towards them in the H2H market on Thursday night.
Bullets to Win
$1.75 (1.5 Units)
