Huge round of NBL betting tips coming up as we look at two key two-game series starting with Perth v Sydney on Thursday and Saturday. Make sure to read on for our 2016-17 NBL Round 7 preview and betting tips!
NBL Round 7 Betting Tips
Perth Wildcats Vs Sydney Kings (Thursday, 17th November at 9:30pm + Saturday)
This week's Thursday night clash is a top of the table battle as the competition leaders the Sydney Kings will travel to Perth to Take on the reigning NBL Champions the Perth Wildcats. These two teams then meet again in a Sydney home game on Saturday.
Perth head into this one off the back of a soul crushing 1-point loss to the New Zealand Breakers. It was clear the Wildcats were missing Damian Martin. His ability to shut down opposition offence is virtually un-rivalled in the NBL. Matthew Knight and Casey Prather, meanwhile, were the standout performers for Perth. They scored a combined 44 points with 23 boards, 4 steals and 4 assists.
As for Sydney, after shooting themselves to a 5-game winning streak, the Kings travelled to Brisbane, where the Bullets proved too much for the Kings. After starting well, the Kings were playing catch up for the majority of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Brisbane ran away in the fourth with Sydney clearly hitting the wall.
Sydney did manage to find familiar ground later in the round defeating Melbourne United 87-71. Kings' Imports Steve Blake and Josh Powell have both been disappointing in recent weeks since joining the Kings. Traveling to Perth will be a daunting task for the Kings, but with Martin still on the sidelines we expect Sydney will get away with the win in a tight one. They should then certainly prove too difficult a task on their home turf on Saturday
Tip: Sydney Kings - Hd to Hd - $1.77 using CrownBet Special As Below
+ Tip: Sydney Kings - Hd to Hd - $1.54 at CrownBet (Saturday)
Melbourne United Vs Cairns Taipans (Friday, 18th November at 7:30pm)
Considering their recent performances, its hard to believe the Cairns Taipans aren't the favourites against Melbourne on Friday night. Cairns are coming into this one after a humorous event during their last match against the Brisbane Bullets. With 90-seconds left on the clock, the power went out and when it was clear it couldn't be reconnected, the officials awarded the win to the Bullets as they were leading 84-76 at the time of the blackout.
Outside of power outages, Cairns have been moving the ball freely and enjoying a consistent scoring presence. Cam Gliddon dropped 25 points against the Breakers two games back with 15 of them coming from beyond the 30-foot arch.
Melbourne are swirling further and further down the NBL drain. They were outmatched by Sydney last weekend, losing 71-87. Last week they cut Cedrick Jackson which made room for the NBL's newest import Casper Ware. The 26-year old comes on the recommendation of fellow Melbourne United star David Andersen. While we are eager to see how Ware handles the NBL, Melbourne will continue to struggle until Chris Goulding is back on the floor. He is likely another week out, so we will happily take the value and follow the Taipans in this one - especially with the lead at 3/4 time, but lose, special offered by MadBookie.
Tip: Cairns Taipans - Hd to Hd - $2.32 at MadBookie
New Zealand Breakers Vs Illawarra Hawks (Friday, 18th November at 5:30pm + Sunday)
The Hawks have been disappointing for most of this season. But in a rare display they overpowered the 36ers last weekend to secure a 85-74 win. Mitch Norton was the standout, scoring 13 points, 3 assists and grabbing 2 boards. Illawarra’s defensive effort was their best for the season. Nic Kay was on fire with 13 boards and added 5 points to his team's tally. Andrew Ogilvy, meanwhile, has been an utter disappointment this season. Ogilvy has struggled to reach the heights that saw him named in the All NBL First Team last season. The season isn't over for the Hawks, though they will need to string several more games like this together if they want to be in contention for the post season.
New Zealand has been chugging along this season, most recently clutching victory from the Perth Wildcats 87-86.
The Breakers have had a solid lineup for the last few seasons and with minimal changes, they still look like a quality outift. The likes of Tom Abercrombie and Corey Webster are in fantastic form at the moment, with these two claiming 37 points and 9 assists against the reigning premieres the Perth Wildcats.
Looking at this one, we’d like to say the Hawks will put up a realistic fight, but sadly this isn't the case. We like the Breakers to sweep this two-game series on Friday and Sunday, including having a multi of the two results. Of course, if there are any major happenings during the Friday game, proceed with caution into Sunday.
Tip: New Zealand Breakers at the line (-5.5) - $1.94 at CrownBet
+ Tip: New Zealand Breakers - Line +0.5 - $1.91 at CrownBet (Sunday)
+ NZ Multi to Win Friday & Sunday - $3.70 at CrownBet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!