Round 6 of the 2021 NBL season gets underway on Saturday with what will be the first of four straight days of double-headers at John Cain Arena in Melbourne. There’s plenty of games to have a crack at, but we’ve picked our best three bets from the round, which you can find below. Good luck to everyone following!
NBL Round 6 Betting Tips
Cairns Taipans vs Illawarra Hawks
Saturday 3pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Cairns Taipans were finally able to get back on the winners list last start against the Breakers, snapping a six-game losing streak. The Snakes were second favourite in the championship betting market coming into the season, but have played nothing like contenders through the first six rounds.
Illawarra Hawks have been one of the best teams to watch this season en route to a 5-2 start. They have the best shooting backcourt in the league in Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup and also a defensive force in Justin Simon. Coach Brian Goorjian already has them locked in on the defensive end, so it seems the only way is up from here for the Hawks.
These clubs have met twice already this season and the Hawks were comfortable winners in both by an average margin of 18 points. The way they can switch between man-to-man and zone defensive schemes on the fly has caused the Taipans all sorts of problems this season and we expect a similar approach from the Hawks in this one. Back the unders to salute for the third straight game in this matchup.
Melbourne United vs Perth Wildcats
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
Melbourne United haven’t put a foot wrong yet this season as they come into this round at 6-0. They’ve had to contend with multiple injuries to key players already but have shown great resolve and depth in their roster to maintain their high level. United approach this round two games clear at the top of the standings.
Perth Wildcats are by far the most successful NBL club in the league’s history, but they’ve been tested early this season as they come in at 2-3. Four of their games have come against SE Melbourne Phoenix (series tied 2-2), so it’s tough to get a genuine gauge on where they’re at. Regardless, the Wildcats will be desperate to even the ledger at 3-3.
United were too strong down the stretch against the Wildcats when these teams met a couple of weeks back. United will be without a couple of starters this time around, but will start as the favourites again and we can’t argue with that. They have a roster stacked with talent and we expect them to get the job done against the Wildcats again here.
Melbourne United -4.5
$1.90
SE Melbourne Phoenix vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday 3pm AEDT, John Cain Arena
South-East Melbourne Phoenix are coming off a huge win over the Wildcats in which they dominated from quarter time onwards. Keifer Sykes looks a real star alongside the superstar that is Mitch Creek, and they’ve recently added another star player in Ryan Broekhoff who will join the team after his 14-day quarantine. Phoenix are currently 4-4 on the season, which has them in fourth spot in the standings.
Brisbane Bullets have been an interesting team to watch this season with their twin towers in the paint. Isaac Humphries is certainly relishing his opportunity and is arguably the front-runner for the MVP early on in the season. The Bullets have had some ups and downs in terms of results, but their most recent outing was a great win over the 36ers.
Phoenix are yet to string together back-to-back wins this season, but they’ve had a pretty tough schedule to start and have done well to be at 4-4. We have them as the better of the two clubs in this matchup and expect them to get the job done comfortably in front of a home crowd.
SE Melbourne Phoenix -4.5
$1.90
