Another weekend of NBL is upon us and it’s expected to be a big one with eight games scheduled for Round 8. We’ll be bringing you previews and betting tips for all games right here, so make sure to keep checking back in!
NBL Round 8 Betting Tips
Brisbane Bullets vs Sydney Kings
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, Nissan Arena
Brisbane were arguably the most impressive team in action in Round 7 with their 16-point win over the highly-touted Phoenix sending a big message to the rest of the league. The trio of Nathan Sobey, Robert Franks and Lamar Patterson continues to prove a big force, helping guide them to three wins from six games. The only knock on the Bullets to date is they’re yet to win back-to-back games so far this campaign.
Sydney have had a relatively soft draw to start the season with six of their eight games being played on their home deck, but they’ve failed to take advantage of it and enter this weekend with a 3-5 record. Most recently, the Kings were defeated by the slow-starting Breakers at home by seven points where they managed to score just 75 points, making it three straight losses and five from their last seven.
These teams are yet to face each other this season and with both teams being relatively new-look rosters from a season ago, there’s little H2H data of much relevance. Regardless, the Bullets have been the better form team of the two and their chances of winning their first matchup with the Kings are only increased with this being played on their home floor. With that said, we’ll be taking the Bullets to win and cover the spread on Friday night.
Brisbane Bullets -5.5
$1.94
Adelaide 36ers vs Melbourne United
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The 36ers enter Round 8 on a high after taking care of business against the Wildcats in fashion last time out. Their 13-point win was a fantastic way to back up their poor performance away to the Taipans, also making it three wins from their last four games. The 36ers are now an even 3-3 on the season to date and have a chance to move into the top four with a big win on Saturday.
United had a less than ideal start to their title defence with losses in their opening two games, but their form since has been nothing short of spectacular. They’ve gone onto win each of their last six games, four of which have been by double-figures, in what’s been a big statement to the rest of the competition. United are now on top of the standings and are far and away the form team in the league.
Whilst it’s hard to knock United after the run they’ve gone on over the last couple of weeks, the 36ers will still fancy their chances of knocking them off if they can bring their A-Game. With all factors considered, this is a really tough betting game and one we’ve struggled to come up with a play for, however, we do see taking the 36ers line as the best option available.
Adelaide 36ers +5.5
$1.93
Illawarra Hawks vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
The Hawks put up a great fight at home against the defending champions in Melbourne United last time out, but eventually succumbed to a four-point defeat. That was their second loss from their last three games, which came after they opened the season with three straight victories. The Hawks remain at home in Round eight where they will be looking to improve on their 2-1 record.
The Wildcats had the softest schedule of any team to start the season and were able to take full advantage of it with five wins from their first six games. We’ll now find out more about them as they’ve now hit the road to take on some tougher opposition, which didn’t bode well for them last start against the 36ers whom they lost to be 13 points. Regardless, the Wildcats will be pleased with their start to the season and will be confident of securing another finals berth come season’s end.
What an intriguing affair we have on our hands here between two of the elite teams in the competition. The Wildcats have been the slightly better of the two so far, but the Hawks have had the tougher schedule and are the deeper squad this season in our opinion. At home and looking to get some revenge for their final’s series loss last campaign, we expect the Hawks to come out firing and to secure an important win on Saturday night.
Illawarra Hawks -1.5
$1.90
Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 1pm AEDT, Qudos Bank Arena
These teams will be facing each other for the second time in a matter of days after playing in the Round 8 opener on Friday night. After leading by 15 points after quarter time in that game, the Kings, who lost star Xavier Cooks due to an ejection in the second term, ended up collapsing and handing the Bullets the win by nine points. Nathan Sobey was the star man on Friday with a game-high 30 points on 8-15 shooting.
The Bullets win on Friday night made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season, which increased their overall record to 4-3 and moving them into fifth spot in the standings for the time being. In contrast, the Kings made it four losses on the spin after starting the season with a 3-2 record after their first five games. Concerningly, their six losses have been by an average margin of 16.3 points.
The Kings were certainly missing Cooks in the second half on Friday night and will be confident of putting up a better four-quarter performance with him available for the full fixture on Sunday. With that said, the Bullets are in far better form in comparison and as long as they bring their usual intensity, then they should be able to keep this close enough to at least cover the spread.
Brisbane Bullets +4.5
$1.85
Tasmania JackJumpers vs S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Sunday 3pm AEDT, MyState Bank Arena
The JackJumpers started their inaugural season on a high with a nine-point win at home against the Bullets, but have come back to reality to since with losses in five of their last six games. Putting enough points on the board to remain competitive is certainly their biggest issue at the moment, with the JackJumpers failing to score 75+ points in three of their last five games.
The Phoenix were touted as the championship favourites leading into the season but have failed to live up to expectations so far. They started off their campaign with three impressive wins on the spin, but have since lost each of their last two by double-figures. In contrast to their opponents here, the Phoenix’s biggest struggles have been on the defensive end where they’ve given up 84+ points in each of their last four outings.
Neither of these teams would be pleased with what they’ve dished up in recent outings, but the Phoenix have certainly been the better team over the course of the season to date. They get the perfect opportunity to kickstart their season with a big win on the road and we expect them to take full advantage of it on Sunday afternoon.
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix -4.5
$1.90
Illawarra Hawks vs Adelaide 36ers
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, WIN Entertainment Centre
Illawarra were no match for the Wildcats in their first outing in Round 8 where they lost by 16 points despite leading by 10 at the first break. The bulk of their problems were on the defensive end where they gave up 94 points, which is beginning to become a common theme for the Hawks who have now lost three of their last four games.
The 36ers managed to get the jump on the defending champions in Melbourne United in the opening stages of their Round 8 clash, but the red-hot United quickly found their rhythm and put the 36ers to the sword in the final three quarters. It was a disappointing way to back up what was a fantastic win against the Wildcats in the game prior, and the 36ers have now slipped to 3-4 on the season as a result.
These teams have already played each other once this season and it was the Hawks who prevailed by 10 points in Adelaide. Fast forward to the present and the Hawks are still clearly the stronger and more consistent team in this matchup and their chances of winning again are only bolstered by this being on their home deck. We expect them to get the job done comfortably.
Illawarra Hawks -7.5
$1.95
Brisbane Bullets vs Melbourne United
Wednesday 3pm AEDT, Nissan Arena
Brisbane have had the busiest schedule of any team in Round 8, with their upcoming clash against the defending champions being their third game in less than a week. Their first two games of the round were against the Kings who they beat by nine points on Friday night before being smashed by 24 points on Sunday. The Bullets are now an even 4-4 on the season and sit just outside the top four.
After losing their first two games of the season in their title defence, Melbourne United have hit back with wins in each of their last seven in what’s been a phenomenal stretch when you consider each of their last five have been on the road. They smashed the 36ers by 19 points in their first game of Round 8 after trailing early on, which was their fifth win by a double-figure margin already this season.
We’ve been expecting United to drop off their extremely high level of play in recent games, but it just hasn’t happened and they only look to be getting stronger. They now get a look at a Bullets outfit that will be playing their third game in six days and are sure to be a little banged up as a result. With that said, we’ll be backing in United to continue their winnings ways and cover the small spread.
Melbourne United -3.5
$1.85
