NBL Week 2 Tips & Preview

NBL Week 2 Tips & Preview

The NBL is officially underway and already, we’ve been treated to some good contests and some notable upsets – the season ahead looks like being wide open.

There are five games on the Week 2 slate and the action gets underway in Brisbane on Friday night.

Friday, October 11
Brisbane Bullets vs Cairns Taipans
Bullets 1-10 ($2.60)

NBL Week 2 begins in Brisbane on Friday and we’ll be treated to the season’s first edition of the all-Queensland affair between the Bullets and Taipans.

The Bullets opened their account with a shock and dominant win over the Illawarra Hawks last week and signs are good ahead of their first home game. Given they were a top four side last season and were lining up opposite a new-look outfit, the result was probably less than surprising, and it ultimately gives Andrej Lemanis’s men a solid base from which to build.

The Taipans simply did not have the answers for the talent-rich Kings at home, but I’m confident that they’ll take good improvement from the hit-out into this.

The line is currently set at 6.5 points and while I do think that Brisbane will get home, I think that Cairns are up to covering.

Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks
Wildcats (-6.5)

The Friday late game takes us to the nation’s west and an intriguing fixture between the Wildcats and the Illawarra Hawks awaits.

Perth snuck home to deliver Melbourne United a 0-2 start to the season and they do look another side that will enjoy good improvement for the run. Nicholas Kay was enormous; recording seven rebounds and as many assists, as well as eighteen points of his own.

I was extremely bullish of Illawarra’s chances in Week 1, but they were comfortably beaten by a credible Bullets side, who poked several holes in their make-up. LaMelo Ball was best on court for the Hawks, but he was reasonably well account for by the Bullets D, and there is no doubt that the US prodigy will be eager to respond in Perth.

The performances mustered by both clubs in Week 1 were classes apart and I am happy to back the Wildcats again.

Saturday, October 12
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers
Kings (-6.5)

Sydney will carry winning form into the first home game of the season and the first-up Adelaide 36ers are the next opponent in the crosshairs.

The Kings bounce into Week 2 off the back of a comfortable win over The Taipans. Casper Ware enjoyed a solid competitive debut for the Kings; slotting twenty-three points to go along with two rebounds and five assists.

The 36ers are yet to be seen competitively in season 2019/20 and they will be eager to get the campaign underway in style. They were probably the league’s big disappointment last season, given they missed the finals, and I’d prefer to see them in action before backing them.

The 36ers will well and truly fire a warning shot at the rest of the competition if they can knock off the Kings are home first-up, but I’m not sure they’ll have the firepower.

Sunday, October 13
South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Brisbane Bullets
Bullets to Win ($1.85)

South East Melbourne are back in action on Sunday afternoon and they face another tough task in beating the established Brisbane Bullets.

The NBL’s new boys have enjoyed a perfect start to their existence and obviously be eager to extend their unbeaten run past the Bullets. They showed plenty of resolve to overcome their new derby rivals and the early competition favourites last week, and the experience of players like Mitch Creek and well and truly telling.

We’ll have a better judge on the Bullets’ chance following their Friday night game with the Taipans, but I think that they were going to be competitive more often than not, throughout the season.

I’m expecting the Bullets to be 2-0 leading into this contest and I think they are the value in head-to-head betting.

Monday, October 14
Illawarra Hawks vs Cairns Taipans
Hawks 1-10 ($2.60)

Both the Illawarra Hawks and Cairns Taipans will saddle up for a second time in Round 2 on Monday evening and unsurprisingly, the Hawks are resounding early favourites to salute at home.

Similarly to the Bullets on Sunday, the performance mustered by both clubs earlier in the round is sure to have a large bearing on what may unfold here, but I am happy to take the Hawks winning by 1-10 at $2.60.