NBL Round 13 Odds, Betting and Preview
Sydney Kings v Adelaide 36ers: Friday 30/12 – 7.30pm at Sydney Entertainment Centre – Latest Odds.
The last NBL round for 2011 kicks off on Friday night with one team playing to keep its playoffs spot alive.
Sydney has been harder to read than a moody teenage girl over the past few months. The Kings have tremendous offensive power, but their lack of accountability on defence has cost them dearly. This was particularly the case last weekend, going down to Townsville 100-93. They let three of the Crocodiles’ best players score over 20 points, something no team can afford let happen. Friday night’s game could very well decide whether they make this season’s playoffs or not.
Speaking of bad defences, you can’t get much worse than Adelaide’s at the moment. As expected, the 36ers were thumped by the Blaze last weekend, going down 96-77 away from home. They were down on output from an offensive viewpoint, which in turn exposed their weak defence. Diamon Simpson and Daniel Johnson tried their hearts out with 42 points combined, but they had very little support.
The Kings have had the better of Adelaide in recent times, winning the past five encounters. For the 36ers to win, they need to stop Julian Khazzouh and Aaron Bruce, who have been a lethal inside-outside combination in the three clashes between the two teams this season. Khazzouh has averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Bruce has averaged 20 points and four assists. The 36ers have the firepower in Simpson and Johnson on offence, but it won’t be enough to stop the Kings at home.
BEST BET:
Sydney by 11+ ($3.50)
Cairns Taipans v New Zealand Breakers: Saturday 30/12 – 6.30pm at Cairns Convention Centre – Latest Odds.
Last season’s grand finalists meet for the third time this year with each team coming into this game in contrasting form.
Despite going down by two points, Cairns showed plenty of fight and ticker against Melbourne last weekend. The Taipans trailed by nine points at half-time, but Andrew Warren led an inspired comeback in the second half to get his team so close – yet so far. Warren finished with 20 points, but the Taipans still fell short 67-65. It was an ugly game, but it would have been the perfect win against the Tigers at the Cage. Now they must move on.
It was all going so swimmingly for New Zealand – up until last weekend. The Breakers had won five on the trot, but ran into a red-hot Perth side at home. The boys across the Tasman had no answer to the Wildcats, who ran out convincing 86-62 winners at home. The Breakers were clearly out-rebounded and outscored, with only three players registering between 13 and 15 points on the night. However the Breakers are a class unit and should bounce back on Saturday night.
Going on ladder positions, you would assume the New Zealanders would win this one pretty comfortably. But don’t discount the Taipans, who will enjoy playing in front of their vociferous home crowd. And they will have plenty to play for, with big man Ian Crosswhite set to play his 200th NBL game. But it’s hard to go past the Breakers here. They are an excellent offensive unit and their defence has improved tremendously over the past 12 months.
BEST BET:
New Zealand by 1-10 ($2.80)
Gold Coast Blaze v Melbourne Tigers: Saturday 30/12 – 6.30pm at Gold Coast Convention Centre – Latest Odds.
It will be a hot battle up on the Sunshine state on Saturday night with two finals contenders going head-to-head.
Two weeks ago, Gold Coast was in danger of missing out on a playoffs spot after a horrendous 20-point loss to New Zealand. But a strong second-half comeback against Perth and a demolition of Adelaide last weekend has the ‘Coasters right back in contention. The Blaze were clinical against the 36ers last weekend, running out impressive 96-77 winners. Adam Gibson was on fire up front, accumulating 37 points, eight rebounds and four assists. But the team’s overall defensive effort was perhaps the most encouraging sign for their fans.
Sometimes you have to win ugly to get your desired result – and that’s what Melbourne had to do last weekend. The Tigers grinded out a tight 67-65 victory over Cairns to cement third spot on the NBL ladder. Some say it was one of the Tigers’ best wins for the season, because they showed plenty of resilience from a defensive viewpoint. Cameron Tragardh continued his awesome offensive form, top-scoring with 14 points and collecting a team-high five rebounds.
This will be the first time these two teams will meet this season – and it is clearly the game of the round. Last year, the Tigers won two of the three games between the two sides, but we all know the Blaze are capable of anything at home. The key to this game for Melbourne is Tragardh, who is averaging 19 points per game this season. But Gold Coast’s form over the past fortnight is too good to ignore. With Gibson and Mark Worthington on fire, expect the Blaze to go into 2012 on a winning note.
BEST BET:
Gold Coast by 1-10 ($2.85)
Wollongong Hawks v Sydney Kings: Saturday 31/12 – 6.30pm at Wollongong Entertainment Centre – Latest Odds.
Two struggling teams from New South Wales will look to head into the new year with a little bit of joy – for once.
It has been a horrendous season for Wollongong. It can’t wait for the end of this season, let alone 2011. The Hawks sit on the bottom of the ladder with just three wins from 12 games. Barely anything has gone right for them and nothing looks like going right anytime soon either. However they have had two weeks off and should be fresh for Saturday night’s game.
It will be interesting to see if Sydney can back up from Friday night’s match against Adelaide. Luckily the Kings only have to head down the freeway, so travel won’t be an issue for them.
This match probably won’t be a spectacle to remember, but there will still be plenty of feeling between these two sides. It’s now or never for the Hawks – if they don’t win this one, they can mathematically kiss their playoff chances goodbye. Even though the Kings are fairly predictable on offence – ‘get it to Julian Khazzouh at every opportunity’ – it’s hard to see the Hawks getting close, despite their good record over the Kings in recent years.
BEST BET:
Sydney by 1-10 ($3.50)
Townsville Crocodiles v Perth Wildcats: Saturday 31/12 – 7.30pm at Townsville Entertainment Centre – Latest Odds.
The final NBL match of 2011 will take place up the top of the country with the hot Western Australians taking on the surging Queenslanders.
Townsville produced a gritty final term to record a 100-93 victory over Sydney away from home last weekend. Despite being dominated off the glass, the Crocodiles managed to hit important shots at important times. Jacob Holmes, who has had his career resurrected by new coach Paul Woolpert, was outstanding, scoring 21 points and gathering in 11 rebounds. He had awesome support from Eddie Gill, who lit up the Sydney Entertainment Centre with 26 points and nine rebounds.
No doubt Perth was the story of Round 12 after thrashing top-of-the-table New Zealand 86-62 at home. The Wildcats went into the game without Matt Knight and lost star big man Shawn Redhage to a nasty eye injury in the second term. But none of that deterred coach Rob Beveridge’s men, who blew the Breakers away early in the game to go into halftime with a commanding 56-29 lead. Jesse Wagstaff was tremendous, dropping 23 points and completely outplaying Breakers All Star big man Gary Wilkinson.
The Crocodiles have been very consistent at home this season, losing just one of their five games. But that sole loss was a 93-85 defeat in Round 3 at the hands of the Wildcats – the best travelling team in the league with an impressive 5-3 record. Townsville will have a few individual milestones among them on Saturday night, with Luke Schenscher playing his 100th game and Holmes needing one point to reach 3000 NBL points. But going on recent form and the overall record between these two teams, Perth should get the job done away from home.
BEST BET:
Perth by 1-10 ($2.85)
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