Friday night NBL24 hoops should be highly entertaining with the fast-paced Illawarra Hawks taking on the star-studded Melbourne United in Wollongong. Action tips off at 7:30pm (AEDT) and we have you covered with a full game preview and best bet below!
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 4 Preview & Betting Tips
Illawarra Hawks vs Melbourne United
Friday 7:30pm AEDT, October 20th, WIN Entertainment Centre
The Illawarra Hawks were cruelled by injury in NBL23 and managed to win only three games as a result, although their injury struggles meant they were given somewhat of a pass mark. However, there are no excuses this season and their 1-3 start to NBL24 is starting to get tempers flaring.
Most recently, the Hawks lost to the 36ers who many believe to be the worst team in the competition. They conceded a whopping 35 points against them in the final frame, in what turned out to be an unacceptable nine-point loss.
Star import Justin Robinson couldn’t throw a cork in the ocean against the 36ers, finishing the game with three points on 1-15 shooting. Simply put, he needs to be far, far better than that if the Hawks are any chance of being competitive this season.
In contrast, Melbourne United have hit the ground running in NBL24 and are one of the early championship favourites. They enter Round 4 with a 4-1 record which currently has them sitting pretty at the top of the standings.
United proved to be far too good for the Bullets in their most recent game, defeating them by 11 points at John Cain Arena. United only conceded 78 points in that clash and amazingly, that’s actually above their season average.
In more positive news, star centre Jo Lual-Acuil is set to suit up for the first time in NBL24 on Friday night. He returns to United after a one year absence where he plied his trade for the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings in China.
Match prediction: It’s fair to say United have been the far better team in this matchup to begin the season and are the deserving favourites to win on Friday night despite being the travelling team.
However, I’m not prepared to give up on the Hawks just yet as they’re just too talented to be putting in such poor performances. Justin Robinson was always going to be a bit rusty after missing a full season due to injury, but when he finds his rhythm it’ll make for a much more potent Hawks offence.
All things considered, United should be winning this game, but with their backs against the wall and back on the their home deck, I’m willing to take the Hawks to cover the big spread for one unit in a tough betting game.
Illawarra Hawks +7.5
$2 (1 Unit)
