Thrills, spills and overtime – NBL round 1 had it all, and we’re back for more with Round 2!
We’ve picked out our three best bets ahead of the weekend’s Aussie Hoops action and hope to provide the Punters with an absolute fill-up.
So, strap yourselves in as rip into our NBL Round 2 tips and preview!
The apple isle is up and about after the JackJumpers got the job done with a huge nine-point overtime win in their historic first-ever game against the Bullets last Friday night.
Can they make it two in a row on Thursday night against the Adelaide 36ers?
It was very much a case of too little, too late for Adelaide going down to Illawarra by 10-points at home.
These two sides have (sorta) met before, when Adelaide managed a two-point 82-80 win in the pre-season NBL Blitz, and this will be the first time the 36ers have played a Tassie team since 1996 when they beat the Devils 114-110.
Momentum is a hard thing to get a read of this early in the season, but one match in you get the feeling that the JackJumpers are going to be no easy beats, especially in front of their adoring home crowd.
At the time of publishing this, the market couldn’t split these two sides with both the JackJumpers and 36ers at $1.90 head to head.
However, I’m expecting another thriller and for the passionate Tassie locals to play a pivotal role in getting their team home and taking them to win 1-10 points for a bit of value.
For the second time in less than a week, the South East Melbourne Phoenix play host to the New Zealand Breakers on Friday night and this tip should be pretty straightforward.
The Phoenix were dominant win their 89-65 win over the Breakers and in control of the game from start to finish.
With a Throwdown against cross-town rivals Melbourne United scheduled for Sunday, this match should pretty much be considered a good dress rehearsal and an early season percentage booster.
Go with the Phoenix to cover the line and the over in a good old line/total points double bet at the tidy price on offer.
The clash between the Kings and Hawks is truly one of the great rivalries in Australian sport and another chapter will be written on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena.
It’s a historic occasion with the one, the only, man, myth, and legend master coach Brian Goorjian chalking up his 800th NBL game.
With both teams heading into this clash undefeated, it’s set to be on for young and old in the first edition of what they call the freeway series.
So far this season, Goorjian’s men have won all games in the NBL Blitz and the season opener in Adelaide on Sunday.
They were one of the more exciting teams to get around last season, and they could really make an impact in this summer of hoops.
Playing away against their cross-town rivals and with it being Goorj’s 800th, there’s no way the Hawks are dropping this one. It should be a thriller.
On Saturday night, the Tassie JackJumpers will back it up for their first-ever road trip as they face the Cairns Taipans at the newly renovated Convention Centre far up north.
Sunday serves up a triple-header.
We start with the big one when Victoria is divided as Melbourne United hosts the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the very first Throwdown of the season.
If all goes to script, the 36ers host the Breakers and both sides will want to be opening their winning accounts later that afternoon.
And to finish things off, the Wildcats make the most of their homecourt advantage while they can as they take on the Bullets at RAC Arena.
Be sure to check back throughout the weekend for our top value and comprehensive NBL markets on offer.