Round 15 in NBL25 begins on Thursday night with a juicy matchup between the Sydney Kings and the South East Melbourne Phoenix at Qudos Bank Arena. The Phoenix are storming home in the back half of the season and will be eyeing off another big scalp in this one. We bring you our full preview and best bet for the clash below!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL25 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL25 Round 15 Preview & Betting Tips
Sydney Kings vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT (Jan 2), Qudos Bank Arena
The Sydney Kings take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Thursday night in what should be an exciting way to get Round 15 underway. The Kings are sitting at 11-9 and currently hold fourth place on the ladder. They've had a rough patch lately, dropping their last two games and giving up 111 points in both. Defence has been a problem, so they'll need to lock things down if they want to get back on track and make the most of playing at home.
The Phoenix, on the other hand, are in great form. They’ve won three in a row and are looking strong under new head coach Josh King. At 10-9 and sixth on the ladder, they’re starting to build some momentum, including a big win over the top-ranked Illawarra Hawks. Their balanced scoring attack has been hard to stop, with both starters and bench players stepping up. They’ll be coming into this game full of confidence and ready to challenge the Kings, as they look to snap a two-game losing streak in this matchup.
When these teams met last, the Kings got the win in a close one, 74-69. This time around, the Phoenix look much sharper, and the Kings have some things to fix on defence. The Kings will be counting on their home crowd to help them turn things around, while the Phoenix will be out to keep their hot streak alive. With both teams pushing for playoff spots, this should be a competitive game with plenty on the line.
In my opinion, this game could end up being more of a grind than a shootout despite recent form, as the Kings will likely focus on tightening their defence after recent struggles. They’ve given up too many easy points in their last two games, and fixing that will be a top priority. Expect them to slow the pace and put pressure on the Phoenix’s scorers, making it harder for them to find open looks. If the Kings can stick to their defensive game plan, this one could turn into a low-scoring battle, with both teams needing to fight for every basket, just like we saw when they last met. With that said, I’m happy to take the unders for a single unit to kick off the round.
Under 190.5 Points
$1.89 (1 Unit)
