There were a couple of strange upsets in NBL Round 9 that meant we hit on just 2 of 5 of our betting tips. However, we’re still well up on the season and are confident we can get back to a positive week this weekend with Round 10’s action. As always, good luck to everyone following!
NBL Round 10 Betting Tips
Cairns Taipans vs Sydney Kings (Thursday 7:50pm AEDT)
Things have just gone from bad to worse for the Taipans this season now that they’ve lost an embarrassing 11 consecutive games. It’s just been a horrible season from the Snakes since they won their opening game. What’s been the most disappointing part of it all is the way in which they’re losing games, especially lately where they’ve lost each of their last four by double figures. They’re going to have to do something we haven’t seen from them this season if they’re to challenge the Kings on Thursday night.
It’s impossible to take the Taipans both at the moneyline and the spread against the Kings here. Their form couldn’t be any different coming into this one with the Taipans on an 11-game losing streak, while the Kings have won nine of their last 11 games. If anything, we feel that the -6.5 spread flatters the Snake here, so we’ll be backing the Kings to cover.
New Zealand Breakers vs Illawarra Hawks (Friday 5:20pm AEDT)
The first of two games on Friday night features the Breakers hosting the Hawks in Auckland. The Breakers snapped a five game losing streak in Round 9 with an 11 point win over the Taipans in Cairns. It was a much needed win to keep them in touch with the top four. They’re still sitting in second last place with a 5-8 record, but are now just two wins from the top four. Meanwhile, the Hawks put in a really disappointing effort at home in their last game, losing to the Kings by 15 points. They’re now at 6-8 for the season and are one spot ahead of the Breakers on the ladder.
After a tough start to the year with a difficult draw and a few unlucky results, the Breakers get a perfect opportunity make it back-to-back victories with a win over the Hawks on Friday night. They do come in as fairly strong favourites, but if they can get it right we believe there’s still some decent value in a play on their spread here.
Brisbane Bullets vs Perth Wildcats (Friday 7:50pm AEDT)
The second game on Friday night sees the Bullets take on the Wildcats in Brisbane. The Bullets squandered a great opportunity to make it four on the spin last round when they lost to the 36ers at home by 10 points. Despite the loss, they’re still in a favourable position on the ladder, sitting in fourth spot with an even 7-7 record. Their ladder-leading opponents Perth Wildcats dished up their first poor round of the season last weekend, losing to both the Kings and United. However, they’re still top of the table, but only just.
We actually like the Bullets to bounce back with a win this weekend at home. They showed some really good form leading into last weekend’s game, and we’re prepared to overlook that loss to the hungry Sixers. We also feel that the Wildcats tough round last weekend will have some carry over affect, potentially leading to a few more losses. At just above even odds, take the Bullets here.
Adelaide 36ers vs Cairns Taipans (Saturday 2:50pm AEDT)
The lone Saturday game in Round 10 has the Adelaide 36ers hosting the Cairns Taipans. The 36ers showed they still have what it takes to run teams off their legs with an emphatic win over the Bullets in Brisbane last weekend. It was a much needed victory for Joey Wright’s men to keep them in the mix for a finals berth. They now sit in fifth position with a 6-8 record, but more importantly are just one game outside the finals.
It’s a really tough task for the struggling Taipans to back up their Thursday duel with the Kings with a road game against the Sixers on Saturday. Unfortunately we see another loss coming their way, but the line is a little too big for our liking and leaves the chance of a back door cover. For this reason, we’re taking the Sixers at their first half line, as we expect them to come out firing against a tired Snakes outfit.
First Half 36ers -3.5
$1.93
Sydney Kings vs Melbourne United (Sunday 2:50pm AEDT)
The match of the round sees the Kings take on United yet again. This will be the third time this season that they’ve faced off, with United leading the series two games to zip. However, both games have come at Hisense Arena in Melbourne, so the Kings are sure to get a lift playing in front of their home fans this time around. As it stands, the Kings are in second place on the ladder at 9-4, while United are in third at 10-5.
The Kings are the form team out of the two here and have built some serious momentum heading into the halfway mark of the season. They will be desperate to get one back on their rivals to avoid losing the regular season series, and they won’t get a better opportunity than this. We feel there is real value in the Kings moneyline, but we’re taking it one step further and backing them to cover a small line.
Illawarra Hawks vs Perth Wildcats (Sunday 5:20pm AEDT)
The final game of an intriguing Round 10 has the Illawarra Hawks playing hosts to the Perth Wildcats on Sunday evening (AEDT). This will be both teams second game of the week, with both having to travel quite a bit between their two games. The Hawks will be looking to take advantage of a few more home games in the coming weeks, having played the most away team so far. Whereas, the Wildcats have had a soft draw to start the season and will need to hold strong over the next couple of weeks when things start to get a bit tricky.
This game is the hardest to pick at this stage of the week because both teams will have another game under their belts by the time this comes around. However, as it stands we see value in the Hawks spread and will be taking that for now, while also sprinkling a little extra on their moneyline.
