There are only five games on the slate for Round 6 of the NBL, but we’re set for several competitive fixtures and there’s plenty of value to be found in betting.
Two clubs, Melbourne United and the New Zealand Breakers will be in action twice, while the league-leading Perth Wildcats will be confident of another win when they travel to Cairns on Saturday.
The action is underway across the ditch on Friday afternoon when the Breakers host Melbourne United.
Round 5 was a particularly fruitful one for the Breakers, who recorded wins over the Cairns Taipans and Brisbane Bullets respectively. That was enough to lift the New Zealand club into the top four for the first time this year, and with plenty of upside for further moves this weekend.
Melbourne have well and truly built to the task again this season, but they were shocked by the Illawarra Hawks in last week’s round opener. They did respond with a win over the Taipans at home, but it’s tough lining up that form given it was against the league’s cellar dwellers.
I can’t see why the Breakers have been priced as such notable outsiders and I am happy to take their current quote in the head-to-head market.
One of the more competitive fixtures of Round 6 looks like materialising when the Illawarra Hawks travel to Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.
The 36ers have not been a shade of the side that made last season’s championship series and they remain seventh in overall standings, having recorded only three wins from their nine matches. A loss to the Kings last weekend was their first in nine meetings since Andrew Gaze took the helm in Sydney and confidence does appear low.
Widely assumed to be the leading contenders for the spoon this season, the Hawks have managed several competitive showings and results against the league’s best teams and only just sit outside the top four. Their impressive win over Melbourne United at the beginning of Round 5 was consolidated by a competitive performance against the league-leading Wildcats, albeit a loss.
Adelaide have clearly been priced as short as they have because they’re playing at home, but I give the Hawks a real shot here. They look particularly good to cover a line currently set at six points.
Focus shifts to North Queensland and the Snake Pit on Saturday evening when the Taipans attempt to reverse their fortunes against the league leaders.
It’s been a tough start to the new campaign for the Taipans. This is a team that has typically had a horrid run of luck with injuries, but even with several stars in tow this time they have failed to make anything of an impression. The ledger now reads 1-6 after Round 5 losses to the Breakers and Melbourne United.
The Wildcats have been simply outstanding through the first five weeks of the season and congratulations to anyone who took the $8 on offer for them to win the championship prior to Round 1. They’re unlucky not to be carrying a perfect record into this game and they made light work of the Bullets and Hawks in Round 5.
There’s still plenty of meat on the bone for Perth at $1.67 and they can certainly cover a miniscule line of only 2.5 points.
Melbourne United will host the Brisbane Bullets in Round 6’s penultimate fixture on Sunday afternoon.
United are in action against New Zealand on Friday afternoon and obviously their performance and that result will have some bearing on what to expect in this game.
The Bullets have been far better than previously anticipated and as the only side that has defeated the Wildcats in season 2018/19, they really pushed the league leaders all the way last weekend. They are clearly full of confidence and will be eager to take bragging rights away from the reigning champs this week.
This looks to be another line that is simply too big and I am happy to follow this competitive Bullets side in again.
The weekend wraps up in Sydney on Sunday when the Kings attempt to continue their resurgence, at the expense of the competitive Breakers.
Sydney returned to winning form in Round 5, but they’ll have taken even greater confidence from their performance and the result as it was the first time that they have beaten the 36ers since Andrew Gaze took the role as head coach. They remain third in overall standings with a winning 4-3 record.
This will be the Breakers’ second game of the round and we’ll have a better gauge on how they might fare after they host Melbourne on Friday afternoon.