The playoffs are so close you can almost touch them.
We’ve still got a heap of games to get through before the business end of the season, and that offers us a heap more chances to back a winner or two.
With games every night until early June, we’ll update our NBL Round 20 tips as often as we can so that we can find the best value bets, for you, the dear Neds Punter.
So be sure to stop by, won’t you?
Let’s make Round 20 of the NBL an absolute fill-up.
Illawarra heads across the ditch to face the NZ Breakers and can pretty much book their spot in the playoffs should they be able to get the job done over the Breakers.
The Hawks have won five of their past six and have been one of the standout teams so far in the 2021 NBL season, a significant turnaround from last season’s cellar-dwellers under the icon coach that is Brian Goorjian.
New Zealand having proper home-court advantage might be a factor as to why they are the favourites going into this game, but they are playing at a venue they’ve never played at before in Pukekohe.
The Hawks have won all three matches against the Breakers this season – including a thrilling two-point win just under a couple of weeks ago.
It’s hard to go past a team in as good form like the Hawks at the $2.20 price and I’ll back them outright.
The only thing the bottom-placed Cairns Taipans have going for them in this match is that the game is now being played as an “away” match at the Pop-up Arena.
That’s about it.
Otherwise, all roads point to South East Melbourne Phoenix getting the job done and booking their place in the playoffs.
The Phoneix are short-priced $1.12 favourites at the time of publishing and will probably shorten closer to tipoff.
Having won their past four matches fairly convincingly, there’s no scope for an upset here tonight, especially given the Taipans are dead-last on the NBL ladder and on an 8 game losing streak.
I’ve got South East Melbourne to cover the line and the overs, in other words – I’m predicting the Phoneix to give the Taipans an absolute spanking.
There’s a fair few games to complete Round 20 of the NBL so be sure to keep an eye out for our markets when they become available.
On Saturday, the 5th placed Sydney Kings will host the top-of-the-table Melbourne United at home.
Depending on how their rivals fare, the Kings will need to win to keep their playoff chances alive, but Melbourne United would love nothing better than to put a full stop on their season.
The Kings will also be backing it up 48 hours after a trip to Perth, with Melbourne United going in with fresh legs after a mad dash across the border.
A double-header is on the cards for Sunday.
Illawarra returns from across the ditch to host the Adelaide 36ers at home and even with the quick turnaround, you’d expect the Hawks to get the job done in that one.
The Brisbane Bullets makes the trip across the pond to Auckland to take on the New Zealand Breakers, in what should be a fascinating betting contest and depending on how results fare on the weekend, it might still be mathematically possible for Brisbane to feature in the playoffs.
Round 21 of the NBL completes on Monday night when Melbourne United “hosts” Cairns Taipans at the Pop Up Arena, it’s a long way from Melbourne but a game between 1st and last is always one to play the margins.
If the Sydney Kings are to push their way into the NBL playoffs, they’ll need to win three out of their remaining four games left in the season.
The prospect of playing the Perth Wildcats away is daunting, however the Kings might be a chance here.
Perth will be missing star guard Bryce Cotton, but the Wildcats are far from a one-man team, in what is a brutal 48 hours for the Kings, they’ll have to back it up against Melbourne United on Saturday night.
With it being mathematically impossible for the Wildcats to finish lower than second on the NBL table, perhaps Perth might get a bit experimental before the fair dinkum stuff gets underway.
Having said that, Perth has won their past five against the Kings and are a perfect 4-0 this season and playing on their home court.
I’m still expecting Sydney to have a real crack at it and prepared to back them at the line.
Hopefully, we’re in for a cracking contest.
Queensland is a state divided as we embark on the fourth edition of the Sunshine Stoush for season 2021.
This looms as a must-win game for the Brisbane Bullets, for whom it is mathematically still possible for them to feature in the playoffs, but they’ll need to win all five remaining games and have a few results go their way. Stranger things have happened.
The Bullets will head into this match as the clear $1.36 favourite and barring a real form slump, there’s no reason they can’t get the job done over the bottom of the table Taipans, who can’t wait for this season to be done and dusted.
Cairns has lost each of its last seven games and despite maybe wanting to put a full stop on the Bullets season, I can’t justify them in an upset.
Other stats worth pointing out is that the Taipans have lost the first quarter in eight of its last nine home games, all the more reason to back the Bullets to win every single quarter at the $3.10 price.