NBL25 Round 15 gets underway on Thursday night with a high-quality matchup between the Kings and the Phoenix in Sydney. That’s the first of eight games for the round, with the last of the games scheduled for play on Wednesday night.
We had another great round of tips in Round 14 where we nailed 5/7 for +3.5 units, taking us to 61-44 and +16.6 units for the season. As always, we bring you our best bets for all eight Round 15 games below!
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NBL25 Round 15 Preview & Betting Tips
Sydney Kings vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Thursday 7:30pm AEDT (Jan 2), Qudos Bank Arena
Illawarra Hawks vs Cairns Taipans
Friday 7:30pm AEDT (Jan 3), WIN Entertainment Centre
It’s top vs bottom in our Friday night standalone game in Round 15, with the 13-6 Illawarra Hawks set to play host to the 3-16 Cairns Taipans. It’s poised to be the most one-sided matchup of the NBL season and one where finding some value in the betting markets is a tricky proposition.
The Hawks will also be eager to bounce back from a disappointing last start loss against the Phoenix. They were outworked in their recent home meeting and were poor defensively as they gave up 110 points. That loss snapped their impressive five-game win streak as well as a three-game winning run at the WIN Entertainment Centre.
Meanwhile, the Taipans recently lost their 15th game in a row as they went down by 24 points against the Breakers. They started that game as the $1.30 favourites due to having home court advantage coupled with the absence of Parker Jackson-Cartwright; however, the Snakes arguably dished up their worst and most embarrassing performance of the season.
As mentioned above, it’s tough to find any value in a game that’s expected to be so one-sided. The Hawks are currently priced as $1.04 favourites, and I can’t remember such a short quote in recent NBL history. In all honestly, this games screams ‘avoid’ from a betting standpoint, but if you’re inclined to have a little investment, then taking the Hawks to cover the spread is probably your best bet.
Hawks -15.5
$1.85 (0.5 Units)
Adelaide 36ers vs Melbourne United
Saturday 5:30pm AEDT (Jan 4), Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United are set to face off on Saturday night in what’s their first meeting since their November 17 clash which ended in multiple ejections and suspensions. United prevailed in that one by 20 points at John Cain Arena, taking them to 2-0 in this matchup in NBL25. However, the 36ers now get their chance to play host in front of what will be a raucous crowd at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The 36ers have lost six of their eight games since that Nov 17 bout, although they were impressive last start winners on the road against the Kings. Meanwhile, United have also had their struggles in recent weeks with four losses from their past five games, however they too were last start winners albeit against the bottom-of-the-ladder Taipans.
The 36ers turned in a far, far better performance in their latest outing and surely this is where their season kickstarts. I’m surprised to see them priced as much as $2.60 on their home floor, particularly considering the horrible form of United over their past five games. With that said, I’m more than happy to back the home side in to get some revenge.
36ers to Win
$2.60 (1.5 Units)
Brisbane Bullets vs Sydney Kings
Saturday 8:00pm AEDT (Jan 4), Brisbane Entertainment Centre
New Zealand Breakers vs Perth Wildcats
Sunday 2:30pm AEDT (Jan 5), Spark Arena
The Breakers defied the odds last start to record a morale-boosting 24-point win against the Taipans. They managed to secure the impressive win despite being without their star player in Parker Jackson-Cartwright who has now served one match of his five-match suspension. Mathematically, the Breakers remain a chance for a top six finish, although they’ll have to dish up more spirited performances like the one we saw last outing.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats came up with one of their best performances of the season last start as they took down the talented 36ers by 24 points in Adelaide. It was the perfect way to bounce back from the thrashing the Hawks gave them in Round 13, and it was also the seventh straight occasion where the Wildcats have responded with a win after copping an L.
The last time these clubs met it was simply the Bryce Cotton show. He poured in a career-high 59 points as his Wildcats won by 11 points in a shootout at RAC Arena (123-112). PJC was also excellent for the Breakers in that one and he’ll be sorely missed in their clash on Sunday.
This is a really tough matchup for the Breakers in my opinion. They have no one that can guard Cotton, and Tacko Fall is almost unplayable due to how exposed he becomes guarding the Cotton P&R. The Breakers will have to play a zone defence to compensate for his lack of agility, but the Wildcats have too many great shooters for that to be effective for long stretches. So, with that said, I’m keen to be with the Wildcats to get the job done comfortably.
Wildcats -6.5
$1.87 (2 Units)
Tasmania JackJumpers vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Sunday 4:30pm AEDT (Jan 5), MyState Bank Arena
It’s a great Sunday afternoon clash we have on our hands here between two of the form sides in the competition. The JackJumpers are flying high on an eight-game win streak which has seen them climb into fourth spot on the ladder – and a win in this one would see them finish the night in second spot. Meanwhile, the Phoenix have been excellent since the coaching change after a 0-5 start, and they could finish the night as high as fifth in the standings.
These clubs have only met once so far in NBL25 and it was a low-scoring, yet thrilling encounter at the Silverdome on November 1. The Phoenix came away with the upset win by two points on that occasion, overcoming a seven-point half time deficit. That also made it four wins from their last five matchups with the JackJumpers, which is a surprising stat considering how elite the latter have been in recent seasons.
Unsurprisingly, the JackJumpers are favoured to get one back on the Phoenix on Sunday. An eight-game win streak coupled with home court advantage sees them currently priced at around $1.60 which is fair under current circumstances. However, I like this matchup for the Phoenix. Without Will Magnay, the likes of Nathan Sobey and Matt Hurt – both whom love to drive to the basket – will prove tough to handle. Derrick Walton Jr is the other one who’s now back to his best and collectively, I like their chances of at least covering the spread here.
Phoenix +4.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
Illawarra Hawks vs Tasmania JackJumpers
Tuesday 7:30pm AEDT (Jan 7), WIN Entertainment Centre
Preview and best bet coming soon.
Brisbane Bullets vs New Zealand Breakers
Wednesday 7:30pm AEDT (Jan 8), Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Preview and best bet coming soon.
