Both NBL24 semi-finals series will come to a close on Wednesday night with back-to-back deciding Game 3’s. Second up on the night is the battle between the Perth Wildcats and the Tasmania JackJumpers at RAC Arena in Perth. Find our full game preview and best bet for free below!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL24 playoffs, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL24 Semi-Finals Preview & Betting Tips
Perth Wildcats vs Tasmania JackJumpers (Game 3)
Wednesday 9:30pm AEDT, March 13th, RAC Arena
Not to be upstaged by the other semi-finals series, this battle between the Perth Wildcats and the Tasmania JackJumpers has been highly entertaining and there’s still one more instalment to come! It’s the Wildcats who will have the privilege of playing hosts in the Game 3 decider after finishing one spot above the JackJumpers in the regular season.
Game 1 was a see-sawing affair with both teams having stages of momentum although it was the home team in the Wildcats who prevailed by eight points (89-81). Similarly, Game 2 was ultra-competitive and the JackJumpers managed to defend home court after outscoring the Wildcats 55-42 in the second half to also win by eight points (102-94).
After struggling in Game 1 with 12 points on 4-16 shooting, Milton Doyle lifted to the occasion in Game 2 with a team-high 24 points (8-18 FG) which included four triples. Jack McVeigh was good again last outing with 22 points, but it was the unexpected 18 points in 17 minutes off the bench from Majok Deng that proved to be the most important.
For the Wildcats, Bryce Cotton played all 40 minutes in Game 2 and finished with a game-high 26 points on 50% from the field. Kristian Doolittle also came up big with 20 points and nine rebounds, although no other Wildcats player was able to score double-figures aside from those two.
Match prediction: These clubs have met five times in NBL24 and the Wildcats currently lead the head-to-head count 3-2. The home team has prevailed in all five meetings and in each of the last six dating back to last season.
Despite that, the JackJumpers have been given an even-money shot by the bookies to advance to the Grand Finals series. It’s not hard to understand why considering they’ve been the best form team in the competition over the past month, winning six of their last seven games. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have lost five of their last eight games.
In better form and with more viable scoring options at their disposal, I’m happy to give the JackJumpers the edge in this do-or-die clash.
Tasmania JackJumpers to Win
$1.95 (1 Unit)