Current Ladder Positions:
New Zealand – 1st (20-6), Adelaide – 8th (9-18)
New Zealand’s Last Five Games:
Round 23 – defeated Sydney (91-86)
Round 22 – lost to Townsville (100-92)
Round 21 – defeated Townsville (66-65)
Round 20 – lost to Wollongong (104-81)
Round 20 – lost to Gold Coast (94-91)
Adelaide’s Last Five Games:
Round 24 – defeated Gold Coast (102-101)
Round 23 – lost to Melbourne (79-76)
Round 22 – lost to Sydney (76-72)
Round 22 – lost to Wollongong (87-60)
Round 21 – lost to Cairns (75-70)
Head-To-Head Encounters This Season:
Round 5 – New Zealand defeated Adelaide (82-78)
Round 13 – New Zealand defeated Sydney (90-85)
Round 15 – New Zealand defeated Sydney (91-77)
Key Players:
Mike Vukona is starting to have more impact on games for the Breakers. After a mediocre start to the season, the Fijian-born forward has started to hit the scoreboard and the glass a little more consistently. The 28-year-old has averaged 11.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game over his past five matches. New Zealand often falls into the trap of relying too much on Kirk Penney and Gary Wilkinson to score all its points. But if Vukona can relieve some of that responsibility tonight and in the playoffs, the Breakers will be a force to reckon with.
Rhys Carter had one of his finest performances for the 36ers last week. When star scorer Adam Ballinger went down with an injury just minutes into the match against Gold Coast, Carter stepped up to the plate and lead his team to an upset victory with 20 points and three assists, including the game winner in overtime. The 27-year-old will be full of confidence after last week’s performance and will be required to produce a similar effort with Ballinger’s fitness still a massive concern.
New Zealand’s Possible Starting Five:
PG – Paul Hennare
SG – Kirk Penney
SF – Tom Abercrombie
PF – Mika Vukona
C – Gary Wilkinson
Adelaide’s Possible Starting Five:
PG – Eddie Shannon
SG – Rhys Carter
SF – Brad Hill
PF – Jacob Holmes
C – Daniel Johnson
Who Wins?
They may sit on top of the NBL ladder with 20 wins, but the Breakers are far from the most in-form team in the league at the moment. They’ve lost three of their past five games, worryingly against teams who they are likely to face in the playoffs.
Conversely, Adelaide will be full of confidence after last week’s thrilling overtime victory over Gold Coast. Despite Ballinger’s early game-injury, the 36ers pulled out one of the best team performances of the season, with six players reaching double figure points, lead by Carter’s 20.
The win saw the 36ers avoid the dreaded Wooden Spoon and you could almost hear the massive sigh of relief from everyone involved with the club. They will be confident going into this game, but predominantly relieved more than anything else.
However the Breakers have a golden opportunity to pick-up a confidence-boosting win against a mediocre team ahead of the playoffs. The 36ers are desperate for the end of the season, while their opponents’ season is just warming-up.
New Zealand trio Vukona, Wilkinson and Penney will be keen to hit the scoreboard and bond well together with the big stuff just around the corner. Expect New Zealand to win comfortably – very comfortably.
Best Bet:
New Zealand by 11+ (1.77 – Sportsbet)