Round 9 of the NBL produced some upsets with the Sydney Kings snatching a dramatic win against the Perth Wildcats. Down by 11 points in the final term, the Kings shocked the Western Australian crowd who are not used to losing at home.
This is the second time the Kings have defeated the Wildcats this season and another strong away performance after defeating the Breakers 70-71 a few weeks ago and the 36ers in Adelaide earlier in the season. The Kings are on the road again to kick off Round 10, travelling up to Cairns to face the 1-11 Taipans.
The Wolf takes a look at all the matches from Round 10 of the NBL.
| MATCH/TIME (AEST) | NBL BEST BETS |
| CAIRNS TAIPANS v SYDNEY KINGSCAIRNS CONVENTION CENTRE THURS 20 DEC 0750PM | Sydney Kings ($1.37) |
| NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS v ILLAWARRA HAWKSCLAUDELANDS ARENA FRI 21 DEC 0520PM | New Zealand Breakers ($1.60) |
| BRISBANE BULLETS v PERTH WILDCATSBRISBANE CONVENTION CENTRE FRI 21 DEC 0750PM | Brisbane Bullets +1.5 ($1.90) |
| ADELAIDE 36ERS v CAIRNS TAIPANSTITANIUM SECURITY ARENA SAT 22 DEC 0250PM | Adelaide 36ers ($1.42) |
| SYDNEY KINGS v MELBOURNE UNITEDQUDOS BANK ARENA SUN 23 DEC 0250PM | Sydney Kings ($1.70) |
| ILLAWARRA HAWKS v PERTH WILDCATSWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE SUN 23 DEC 0520PM | Perth Wildcats ($1.60) |
BRISBANE BULLETS (7-7) ($2.00) v PERTH WILDCATS (11-4) ($1.81)
Are the Wildcats still the kings of the NBL jungle?
Three losses in four games has the Wildcats needing a win to stay on top of the NBL table. What has gone wrong for Perth over the last month? It is a combination of factors, injuries have shaken their roster with both Bryce Cotton and Damian Martin out of the side and the Wildcats also became the ‘hunted’ team in the NBL. A poor performance on Monday (82-65) against Melbourne United is a red flag for the Wildcats with coach Trevor Gleeson describing it as their worst of the season.
The Bullets are not going to be an easy opponent for the Wildcats. The Wolf expects Bryce Cotton to bounce back from a very quiet performance against United on Monday. The star import had just 11 points on 4-15 shooting.
SYDNEY KINGS ($1.70) v MELBOURNE UNITED ($2.15)
Sydney out for revenge against United.
The Kings moved up to second on the NBL table with a narrow 98-97 win over the Wildcats and 83-68 win over the Illawarra Hawks last weekend. The key in this game will be for Andrew Bogut to stay out of foul trouble, he played just 4.3 seconds of final term in the Kings win over the Wildcats. Bogut will also be looking to bounce back after Angus Brandt put in a solid performance against the former NBA centre. Andrew Gaze highlighted the need to win the offensive boards and that will difficult against Josh Boone who the Wolf senses has a point to prove every time he lines up against Bogut.
The Wolf thinks that United are vulnerable coming off a short break, having also defeated the Wildcats on Monday night. The Kings are building and they should get their first win over Melbourne United for the season at home.