Forget the Boxing Day Test this Christmas period and get around the NBL!
We are set for a stack of big games this weekend and there is plenty of value to be found with our NBL Round 13 tips.
The Cairns Taipans have been the surprise packages of the NBL this season, but are they good enough to beat Melbourne United?
Probably not.
Melbourne United could hardly have been more impressive against the Perth Wildcats last weekend and a repeat of that performance would make them far too strong for the Taipans.
This is a tricky game for punters.
The Brisbane Bullets have a very poor record as home favourites, but it is impossible to back the New Zealand Breakers outside of New Zealand with any real confidence.
The Bullets have been showing some signs of progress over the past few weeks and this is the type of game that they simply need to win if they are going to be any chance of making the NBL Playoffs.
I’m sticking with the Bullets, but I don’t feel great about it.
This is easily the game of the weekend in the NBL and could be a genuine NBL Playoffs Preview.
Do I like Andrew Bogut as a bloke?
Absolutely not, but he is an extremely good basketball player and I think that he will prove to be the difference between these two sides.
Backing the Sydney Kings against the line as home favourites has been a highly profitable betting play this season and there is no reason to move away from that strategy for this contest.
Cane LaMelo Ball comeback already?
The Illawarra Hawks are a complete irrelevance without him in the side, despite their upset win over the Adelaide 36ers, and they are awful to watch.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix have had their struggles in recent weeks and their hopes of qualifying for the NBL Playoffs are fading, but they should still prove far too strong for this lacklustre Hawks outfit.
I remain convinced that the Adelaide 36ers are a better side than their current record suggests.
The suffered very poor losses to both the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans last week, but they have too much talent to produce a third uninspiring performance on the road.
The New Zealand Breakers will be on the flat side after a lengthy stint in Australia and this is a game that the 36ers should really win comfortably.