Get game previews and NBL tips for every game in Round 13.
Sydney stole a thriller over Melbourne on Sunday, winning 92-86 in extra time to pick up another huge win. It continued the Kings’ form of claiming wins against big-name opponents, as this game became a defensive grind and somewhat ugly from the start of the fourth quarter. However, the Kings continually forced United into tough looks from deep and that proved to be the winning recipe, holding the title hopefuls to just 16 combined points in Q4 and OT, while Kendric Davis starred on the other end for Sydney. The guard had 26 points and six assists in the win, despite running into foul trouble, while Matthew Dellavedova had his best game since returning from illness, with 15 points and lots of defensive energy. Kouat Noi provided a quick-fire 10 points and Bul Kuol’s defence was again crucial in slowing down the likes of Chris Goulding and Milton Doyle.
Adelaide also enter this game off an overtime victory against United, prevailing 114-104 on Friday. With an 18-point lead late in the third quarter, it looked like the 36ers were going to cruise to victory, but a 14-28 fourth quarter invited the visitors back into the contest, forcing the game to overtime where Bryce Cotton took over early on. The MVP had Adelaide’s first seven points in the period and that helped steer Adelaide home, despite him fouling out moments later. Flynn Cameron and Dejan Vasiljevic also came up clutch in OT, but Cotton was the star with 33 points, 13 assists and four steals. Cameron finished with 18 points, eight boards and one steal and Vasiljevic had 14 points on 3/5 from deep, while Isaac Humphries had another strong scoring night with 17 points and six boards before fouling out.
Sydney pulled off an excellent 103-79 win in Adelaide two months ago and they are more than capable of recording another win here, but they should not be favoured, especially in what is essentially a neutral venue in Canberra. Adelaide have been the benchmark across the past six weeks and I don’t like Sydney as favourites here. The 36ers have covered four of their last five games and will win again here.
Best
Adelaide 36ers +1.5 ($1.85)
Value
Adelaide 36ers 1-10 ($3.10)
Melbourne have now lost four games on the bounce after an 86-92 defeat to Sydney on Sunday. It was another overtime loss for United, who suffered the same fate just two days prior in Adelaide, and this time it came in much more crushing fashion, with the team shooting an abysmal 1/29 from deep on the night and continuing to jack up threes in OT despite their struggles. That resulted in an ugly OT, scoring just two points to record the loss, and it came on the back of particularly rough shooting nights from Chris Goulding and Milton Doyle. The two combined to go 0/17 from deep, and while Doyle did get to 21 points on 8/20 shooting before fouling out, some ill-advised shots late on hurt Melbourne. Finn Delany was somewhat more level-headed with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, but his six turnovers were an indicator of the frantic nature that United were playing with at times. Fabijan Krslovic was perhaps United’s best, with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Illawarra put together a clutch time masterclass to get past Brisbane 100-85 last Thursday. With scores tied at 81-81 with just 3:20 to play, it was anyone’s game, but the Hawks showed their championship quality from there, finishing the game on a 19-4 run to miraculously blow out the visitors. It was another excellent night from JaVale McGee, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to dominate the game in his 29 minutes, while QJ Peterson was impressive in a playmaking role, with 19 points, five rebounds and eight assists in just 24 minutes of play. Tyler Harvey had 17 points, including doing plenty of damage late, and Will Hickey added 18 points, eight boards and three steals in a good night for Illawarra’s stars.
We have seen some iconic battles between these two teams in recent times but Melbourne will flex their muscles at home here. They have the defenders to throw at McGee and Hickey, and when those two have been quietened this season, Illawarra have struggled. United are in a form slump, but their depth and quality will rise here.
Best
Melbourne United -5.5 ($1.95)
Value
Melbourne United 11+ ($2.90)
Perth took care of business in Brisbane on Sunday, winning 86-62. It was not a pretty game of basketball but Perth won’t care, as Ben Henshall and David Duke Jr found some form, with 15 points and 14 points, respectively. Dylan Windler had a do-it-all performance, with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks, but it was really the Wildcats’ defence that led them to victory. Jo Lual-Acuil was a key man on that end, with two steals and three blocks, while the team forced 16 turnovers in a bounce-back showing.
South East Melbourne steadied the ship with a 92-80 victory over New Zealand on Saturday. It was a good rebound from a shock loss to Tasmania on Wednesday, with Nathan Sobey bouncing back to drop an elite 36 points and five assists. The star guard looked unstoppable from all over the court, dropping seven three-pointers in a scoring barrage, while John Brown III and Wes Iwundu did their jobs on both ends once again. Hunter Maldonado had one of his more complete games of the season, with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and that made for a comfortable win in the Heartland.
We’ve seen both of these teams lock in defensively in the back half of the season and we will have a grind of a game on our hands here. The under is 10-8 in Perth’s 18 games this season and the under is 6-4 in SEM’s last 10.
Best
Under 183.5 ($1.95)
Value
South East Melbourne Phoenix 1-10 ($3.15)
Cairns produced another ugly offensive night last Saturday, losing to Tasmania 68-81. Jack McVeigh provided the goods again with 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists, but a second half collapse saw the Taipans lose the final 20 minutes 19-44, making for another heavy loss. Andrew Andrews was on-form with 18 points and eight assists but nobody else was up to it offensively, with Sam Waardenburg particularly struggling in his first game of the season, going 3/11 from the floor.
New Zealand were outclassed in Traralgon last Saturday, losing to South East Melbourne 80-92. It was a long night at the office for the visitors, who never really got going offensively and were well behind for most of the second half, seeing their three-game win streak come to an end. Parker Jackson-Cartwright didn’t have his best game, with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but it was Izaiah Brockington and Karim Lopez who were the letdowns on that end, combining for 5/21 shooting. Rob Baker had 16 points and Tai Webster had 10 points and three assists, but the team’s finishing at the rim wasn’t up to scratch, seeing them lose comfortably in the end.
Waardenburg will surely be better in his second outing and will help Cairns on both ends, but I still can’t see the Taipans turning into an offensive force. With the slow pace that they play at, we’re in for another low-scoring game here. The under is 10-7 in their 17 games this season and is 5-3 in NZ’s last eight road games.
Best
Under 177.5 ($1.95)
Value
New Zealand Breakers 1-10 ($2.85)
South East Melbourne prevailed against Perth in a 77-76 victory on Thursday night. It was not a pretty performance from Josh King’s side, having to grind their way through the game on the offensive end, but their 31-point third quarter was enough to get them back into the contest, before Nathan Sobey, John Brown III and Angus Glover came up with big shots in the clutch to see SEM go from trailing 69-73 to being 77-76 victors. Nobody had a particularly impressive offensive night, but Jordan Hunter led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds and one block, while Nathan Sobey had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Wes Iwundu went just 2/11 from the floor but again was a menace on defence, as was Brown in another great defensive game from the pair.
Brisbane slumped to another ugly defeat on Sunday, losing to Perth 62-86. That’s now six consecutive losses for the Bullets, and is four straight home defeats by more than 20 points, in what has been a terrible stretch of basketball from Stu Lash’s men. With an average margin of defeat of 29 points in their last four home games, nothing has gone right for Brisbane, and it was the case again last Sunday, shooting just 36% from the field and coughing up 16 turnovers. Terry Taylor was solid for the Bullets, with 18 points and eight boards, and Jacob Holt had 10 points, including a poster, and one block off the bench, but the positives ended there. Alex Ducas was out of his depth, with 10 points on 4/16 shooting, and Tyrell Harrison struggled to hit his shots, going 4/11 for 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Javon Freeman-Liberty was tentative with his eight points and Mitch Norton gave almost nothing in his 32 minutes to make for another poor loss.
It’s hard to imagine Brisbane coping well with the defensive intensity of the Phoenix and with this game being played in Melbourne, it’s not going to be pretty for the visitors. SEM are more talented on both ends of the floor and with Javon Freeman-Liberty having failed to impress since returning from the States, the Bullets are going to be without a chance.
Best
South East Melbourne Phoenix -10.5 ($1.85)
Value
To Score 20+ Points — Angus Glover ($8.00)
Tasmania showed off their defensive chops in Far North Queensland last week, recording an important 81-68 victory over Cairns. They were strong defensively all game long, but particularly in the second half where they gave up just 29 points, stonewalling the hosts to make for a comfortable victory. Josh Bannan gave a great two-way effort, finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three assists and Bryce Hamilton had a do-it-all game with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. David Johnson continued to struggle for post-injury form with 13 points on 5/13 shooting, but the interior defence of Will Magnay, who had nine points, 13 boards and three blocks in just 24 minutes helped steer Tassie home.
Perth let a good chance slip through their hands on Thursday night, as they fell to South East Melbourne 76-77. With a 16-point lead in the third quarter, it looked like the Wildcats were coasting to victory at home, but they let their foot off the gas to be up just 60-57 at three-quarter time, thanks to a 31-point third quarter from the visitors, and chaos ensued from there. Up 73-69 with less that two minutes to play, the Wildcats remained in the box seat, but their defence again crumbled in the clutch, allowing SEM to go on a 3-8 run to close the game with a win. David Duke Jr had perhaps his best game in Perth colours, with 21 points on 8/13 shooting to go with five assists and one steal, while Elijah Pepper dropped 17 points. Jo Lual-Acuil was tame again, with 15 points and six boards and Dylan Windler was up-and-down with 10 points, 11 boards, four assists and two blocks before fouling out. The biggest concern, though, was Kristian Doolittle who had just four points in 37 minutes, with more needed from him if Perth are to become contenders.
It’s been a rough run of form for the Wildcats and as they head to Hobart, and I don’t like their chances of shoring things up on the Island. Perth are just 2-5 in their last seven games in Hobart and the big man play of the Jackies will be tough for the Wildcats to combat.
Best
Tasmania JackJumpers ($1.80)
Value
Tasmania JackJumpers 1-10 ($2.90)
Brisbane’s downward spiral continued on Saturday with a 78-107 defeat against South East Melbourne. Under the open roof, Brisbane were no test for the hosts, with the Bullets’ offence failing to fire in the opening three quarters, scoring just 50 points through the opening 30 minutes of play, and there was no getting back into the contest, as they trailed by as many as 35 points. Youngsters Jacob Holt and Jack Purchase provided some reasons for optimism, with 10 points and nine points, respectively, in less than 15 minutes of play, while Javon Freeman-Liberty top-scored with an inefficient 17 points. Tyrell Harrison’s shot was off but he left his mark elsewhere, with 12 rebounds, two steals and three blocks but the likes of Terry Taylor and Mitch Norton were virtually non-existent, seeing Brisbane suffer their seventh straight loss.
New Zealand had a good chance to get back to winning ways on Friday but they were simply outclassed by Jack McVeigh, who led Cairns to a 95-99 victory. The Breakers had no answer defensively for the forward, who dropped an uber efficient 47 points, as Parker Jackson-Cartwright had a tough night in Far North Queensland. The star point guard shot just 4/12 for 12 points and 11 assists, but Sam Mennenga stood tall against his former team to record 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Izaiah Brockington had one of his best games of late, with 17 points on 7/10 shooting, but Karim Lopez looked a step slow again and Rob Baker was disappointing on both ends of the floor before fouling out in just 21 minutes of action.
The Breakers head south to Brisbane for what is another very winnable game, and this time they should make no mistake. PJC will have a field day against this Bullets defence and that will unlock a lot of offensive success for himself and the rest of the team. Brisbane have failed to cover their last five games and that streak will continue on Monday.
Best
New Zealand Breakers -5.5 ($1.85)
Value
To Score 20+ Points — Javon Freeman-Liberty ($3.30)