Round 13 in NBL25 continues on Saturday night with a standalone fixture that should be a cracker – it’s the South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Adelaide 36ers from 8:00pm AEDT at John Cain Arena. There’s plenty of high-level talent on display in this matchup, and we have you covered with a full preview and tip for the game below!
Also, we’re providing previews and expert betting tips for every game of the NBL25 season, so make sure to head over to our NBL Tips page regularly to keep up to date with all of our content.
NBL25 Round 13 Preview & Betting Tips
South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Adelaide 36ers
Saturday 8:00pm AEDT (Dec 21), John Cain Arena
The South East Melbourne Phoenix made it back-to-back wins in the Throwdown when they put Melbourne United to the sword in Round 12, pouring on 109 points in a stellar 12-point win (109-97). It was a great way for the Phoenix to quickly bounce back from their earlier Round 12 loss against the Bullets, in a game where they were far from disgraced against what was a red-hot ball club.
That’s now eight wins from a dozen games for the Phoenix since they parted ways with former head coach Mike Kelly after an 0-5 start. They’ve clawed their way back to just one game below .500 (8-9), and enter Round 13 sitting inside the top six with the fourth best percentage in the competition (102.53%).
The Phoenix also have a near clean bill of health from an injury standpoint as per the official NBL injury update. Matt Kenyon (illness) is the only rostered player currently going through some difficulties.
The Adelaide 36ers saw star import Montrezl Harrell return from a three-game suspension in Round 12, and he certainly made his presence known with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. He, along with fellow star important Kendric Davis (36 points, nine rebounds), handed the Breakers a 17-point loss in Adelaide (111-94).
It was a necessary bounce-back win for the 36ers after four straight losses, two of which were without Davis and three without Harrell due to their confrontation with a crowd member against United on November 17. On the back of their recent win, the 36ers are now also just one game below .500 (7-8) and sit in eighth spot, but could finish Round 13 as high as fifth if results fall their way.
In more positive news for the 36ers, the third head of their three-headed offensive monster in DJ Vasiljevic is also nearing a return from a hamstring injury, and is likely to be back in action somewhere around new year. Sunday Dech (hamstring) is the other one dealing with injury, although his return date is currently unknown.
Game Prediction: This is a massive game for both clubs and their top six aspirations, albeit still with plenty of regular season basketball to play. It’s the second meeting between these teams this season, with the 36ers coming away with a 10-point win in their Round 3 clash in Adelaide on October 3 (93-83).
Due to their strong form under new coach Josh King, coupled with their five-game winning streak at John Cain Arena, the Phoenix will start this mouth-watering battle as the slight favourites in the head-to-head market. However, with Davis and Harrell back firing for the visitors, I think the pendulum swings slightly back in their favour.
The 36ers have won seven of their past nine games in which Davis and Harrell have both completed and while they’ve had their struggles on the road in recent times, I expect them to be fired up for this one knowing the ladder positions that are at stake. For these reasons, I’m happy to take the underdogs to win for a couple of units.
36ers to Win
$2.25 (2 Units)
