We’re only 4 weeks in and NBL season 2021 is turning out to be a ripper!
Who plays who and where continues to be a bit of a game of chess, but once the teams get out on the court we have been subject to some cracking games, thrilling finishes and upsets galore.
Six big games are on the cards from Friday night to Monday.
Can we make Round 4 a winning one for the punters?
Read on in our tips and preview.👇
The second-placed, undefeated Melbourne United heads up north to take on the Brisbane Bullets and will go into this match the clear favourite.
United are coming off a hard-fought win over South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Throwdown and continue to impress.
Melbourne is yet to have a double-header of matches in an NBL round this season, and Friday night’s clash will be the first of two matches for them this round, backing it up on Sunday against the Perth Wildcats in Bendigo.
While they are the $2.90 (at time of publish) underdogs in this game, the Brisbane Bullets will take plenty of confidence after a sensational 105-103 overtime win against the Taipans in the Sunshine Stouch, giving them two wins for the Round.
Brisbane currently sits 5th on the NBL ladder with two wins and two losses and would love nothing better than to deliver Melbourne United their first loss for the season at home to make it three-in-a-row.
However, on paper Melbourne United looks simply too good and just know how to win.
I’ll take them to win it in a close one.
The Taipans and Breakers will meet twice and at the same venue this Round, with the first match getting underway this Saturday night at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena, also known as the old Bunnings.
Cairns will be filthy about their loss on the road to the Brisbane Bullets on the weekend, starting the game on fire only to go down in overtime to their Sunshine State rivals 105-103.
It has been a shaky start to the Taipans season, having lost their past five matches and they’ll be desperate to get back to that winning form we saw from them in the 2019-20 season with a big win over the Breakers at home.
This is a team that should be able to get back to winning form and quickly.
For the Breakers, it’s been a never-ending game of chess regarding not only how they will play but where they will play.
The club is sacrificing a lot with season 2021 becoming a never-ending road trip.
First, they were set to play in Perth, then they were not, will they go to Adelaide instead?
Now they are in Cairns and face the Taipans on Saturday night and Monday night.
Saturday night will be only the third game the Breakers have played this season, having lost both their matches to the Adelaide 36ers.
Hopefully, we’re in for a thriller, and I’ve always liked the value of the half time/full-time double market with the Snakes to storm home in the second half.
The Adelaide 36ers hosting the Sydney Kings is set to be a beauty this Saturday night.
This game will be the second time these two teams have met in the space of a week, with the 36ers making it three-in-a-row with an 85-80 win over the Kings.
The duo of Issac Humphries and Josh Giddey continue to delight and entertain the Adelaide fans and both have been rewarded with selection in the Boomers squad for the Tokyo Olympics this week.
Injury and retirement have gotten the better of the Sydney Kings this season and while they are down on manpower, they are not down on having a crack.
Sydney was able to get within three points with three minutes left last Saturday night, but the Sixers simply got the job done.
After a weeks rest, both sides will be right at it on Saturday night but expect the 36ers to chalk up another win.
I’ve got them to beat the line (-4.5)
Brian Goorjian’s unbeaten, unstoppable, super team formally known as Illawarra finally leave Queensland, pack their bags and make their way to…Knox the heartland of Victorian Basketball to take on the Phoenix this Sunday.
The Hawks did it comfortably over the Taipans on the road for the second time this season.
This game will be a somewhat homecoming for Hawks coach Brian Goorjian, who of course was the coach of the South East Melbourne Magic and South Dragons once upon a time.
The Goorj will also coach the Boomers at this years Olympic games.
To continue on the history lesson if The Hawks are able to get the win in this one, it will be the first time since 2013 that they would have started a season 5-0.
Can they do it?
They’ll have to get through the South East Melbourne Phoenix first.
South East Melbourne had a spirited fight back in the final quarter, pouring in 36 points in the final term but ultimately fell short to Melbourne United in the Throwdown.
It was a pretty solid effort for a team that had spent a month on the road and had just gotten back into Victoria.
The Phoenix have had good time to rest up before hosting the Hawks at Knox, however, we’re right on Goorj and The Hawks bandwagon.
Take them head to head at the even money.
For the first time this season, Melbourne United will back it up for a second game of the round hosting the Perth Wildcats in Bendigo on Sunday.
The game was only given the green light on Wednesday by the Victorian government as a result of the states red zone border on Perth due to the current 5-day lockdown.
Perth will call Victoria home for the next month and have only played two games so far this season, both against the South East Melbourne Phoenix claiming a win and loss.
The Wildcats, who are currently defending champions haven’t even had the chance to train until Thursday, after their one-point loss at the Buzzer to the Phoenix.
Jesse Wagstaff has had plenty of time to mull over his missed regulation lay-up on the buzzer.
Melbourne United goes into this game the clear $1.38 (at time of publish) favourite, with the Wildcats at $3.05 in the head to head market.
You can never underestimate a team on the road playing under adversity, but it’s very hard not to go past Melbourne United in this one.
Saturday night’s game was so good that the NBL figured these two might as well play another game on Monday night.
The Breakers got the job done over the Taipans on Saturday night 85-79 and the Snakes fans will have every reason to be filthy about dropping that one.
Cairns now sit 1-5, have dropped four on the bounce, were playing at him, led by 8 points with 8 minutes to play and found a way to lose.
The darlings of last season are in crisis, and their season is already at stake with this quick turnaround in matches against the Breakers.
Lamar Patterson was the hero for the Breakers as he blitzed it on a 17-5 run in the last five minutes of the game.
For some reason the Taipans are favourite, but how can anyone back them again after that effort?
Backing the Breakers to beat them for the second time in 48 hours.