Round 12 in NBL24 is a busy one, with nine games scheduled to play out from Friday night through to Wednesday night. There will also be a Christmas double-header, with the Kings vs Hawks being the feature game. We bring you our best bets for all Round 12 games here!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL24 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL24 Round 12 Preview & Betting Tips
New Zealand Breakers vs Sydney Kings
Friday 5:30pm AEDT, December 22nd, Spark Arena
The first game in Round 12 should be a beauty, with the New Zealand Breakers playing hosts to the Sydney Kings in a Grand Final rematch. The Breakers will welcome back star players Will McDowell-White and Zylan Cheatham after long injury layoffs, although they’ll be without Finn Delany who recently hurt his calf. Cheatham provides the Breakers with a much-needed presence in the paint and was in MVP calibre form in the few games we saw from him earlier this season. Still, the Breakers will need more than a strong performance from Cheatham if they’re to take it up to the Kings, as they’re yet to secure back-to-back wins this entire campaign. On the flip side, the Kings haven’t been consistent at all in NBL24, particularly on the road where they’ve already lost on four occasions. This makes for a tricky game to predict to kick off Round 12. However, there does look to be some value in taking the unders in the total points market, as the current line of 181.5 points looks too high considering none of the recent games between these sides have come anywhere close to reaching that total.
Under 181.5 Points
$1.88 (2 Units)
Cairns Taipans vs SE Melbourne Phoenix
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, December 22nd, Cairns Convention Centre
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Illawarra Hawks vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, December 23rd, WIN Entertainment Centre
First up on Saturday is an intriguing matchup between the Illawarra Hawks and the Tasmania JackJumpers in Wollongong. The Hawks have found some serious form under interim head coach Justin Tatum, winning three out of four games so far in his tenure and losing the other by a single point. They absolutely put the Phoenix to the sword on the road last start, winning their second game in a row by at least 18 points. Elsewhere, the JackJumpers suffered two tough losses in Round 11, one to the Wildcats on the road and the other to the Kings at home. Still, the JackJumpers were not disgraced in either loss and remain the only team in the competition that’s yet to lose a game by double-figures this season. Interestingly, the JackJumpers have been priced as the strong favourites to take down the in-form Hawks despite being the visiting team. I believe that’s a bit disrespectful to the Hawks who have been playing inspired basketball over the past couple of weeks. As long as the Hawks can produce another strong performance, they’ll be in this one up to their eyeballs.
Illawarra Hawks +5.5
$1.91 (2 Units)
Melbourne United vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 8pm AEDT, December 23rd, John Cain Arena
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Adelaide 36ers vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 2pm AEDT, December 24th, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Two clubs struggling for form in NBL24 will meet in the lone game on Christmas Eve, with the Adelaide 36ers taking on the Brisbane Bullets in SA. Neither team brings in any sort of reliable form, with the pair combining for just three wins from their last 14 games. However, both teams will be keen to try and build some momentum to take into the New Year and that should make for an entertaining battle on Sunday. These teams have only met once this season to date and that was in their opening game with the Bullets coming away with a 15-point win at home. That made it four straight wins to the home team in this matchup dating back to last season. Needless to say, there isn’t much splitting these sides at the moment and it will be whoever can bring their best basketball on the day that will come away with the desired result. However, having homecourt advantage does give the 36ers the slightest of edges in my opinion.
Adelaide 36ers to Win
$2.15 (1.5 Units)
Tasmania JackJumpers vs SE Melbourne Phoenix
Monday 5:30pm AEDT, December 25th, MyState Bank Arena
The first game of the Christmas double-header will be in the Apple Isle with the Tasmania JackJumpers taking on the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Both clubs have already played once in Round 12 but experienced completely different results. The JackJumpers delivered a reality check to the Hawks when defeating them by 11 points on the road on Saturday night. They dominated the game from start to finish in a necessary win after suffering back-to-back losses. Elsewhere, the Phoenix were no match for the Taipans on Friday night when losing by 19 points. The loss of Mitch Creek has really hurt the Phoenix in their last couple of games, with none of his teammates able to step up and fill the void. The Phoenix have now lost three games in a row by an average margin of 25 points and are set to face a JackJumpers outfit that will be at full strength on their home deck. I’m expecting this to be a one-sided win for the JackJumpers which will see them cover the spread.
Tasmania JackJumpers -7
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks
Monday 7:30pm AEDT, December 25th, Qudos Bank Arena
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Cairns Taipans vs Perth Wildcats
Tuesday 7:30pm AEDT, December 26th, Cairns Convention Centre
Click here for our full game preview and best bet!
Brisbane Bullets vs New Zealand Breakers
Wednesday 7:30pm AEDT, December 27th, Nissan Arena
To conclude Round 12 of the NBL24 season we have a clash between the Brisbane Bullets and the New Zealand Breakers at Nissan Arena on Wednesday night. The Bullets lost their opening game of the round against a fellow struggling club in the 36ers, which made it three straight defeats and six from their last eight games. Elsewhere, the Breakers have finally found some form and momentum in NBL24 and will head into Wednesday night’s game having won two in a row against quality opposition. The Breakers are finally starting to get healthy and will feel as though they now have the chance to string together wins and ascend up the standings. The bookies have priced this one as a near even-money game, which I simply don’t agree with. The Breakers are the far more talented team in this matchup and as long as they bring the same intensity they’ve played with in their past two games, then they should have no problems coming away with a win against the Bullets.
New Zealand Breakers to Win
$1.70 (2 Units)
