Sunday NBL Action continues in Brisbane, where the Brisbane Bullets will host the Illawarra Hawks after spending the week in Perth.
They had a split record against the Perth Wildcats team and now face an Illawarra Hawks side at home, fresh off a double-overtime win against the New Zealand Breakers.
Saturday NBL Action saw the Sydney Kings bounce back, and the intense defence from the Cairns Taipans made easy work of the Adelaide 36ers in a surprising result.
The Brisbane Bullets vs Illawarra Hawks clash is shaping up as the match of the day for Sunday, December 19th. Brisbane Bullets import Robert Franks has been in red hot form to start NBL22 averaging 22.7 Points and 10.7 Rebounds per game. He is no stranger to filling up the stats sheet, averaging 21.6 Points and 7.2 Rebounds in his senior year for Washington State.
Here are some NBL Tips and NBL Predictions for the Bullets vs Hawks at 3 pm Eastern Standard Time.
Be sure to check back before each NBL22 Match for NBL Previews, NBL Head to Head Predictions, NBL Tips, NBL Picks and NBL Predictions for each match of NBL Season 22.
A Star Rating is used to show the confidence level of each Head to Head NBL Match Prediction.
⭐ = A Tough Match to Pick
⭐⭐ = A Decent Chance
⭐⭐⭐ = Should Get the Win
Brisbane Bullets vs Illawarra Hawks
Venue – Nissan Arena
Tip Off – 3pm Eastern Standard Time
Season Record
| Team | Win/Loss | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Illawarra | 3-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 |
Season Team Statistics
| Team | PPG | Opp PPG | Rebs | Assists | Tu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | 80.3 | 86.7 | 51.0 | 15.0 | 16.7 |
| Illawarra | 90.0 | 83.7 | 43.0 | 15.0 | 9.0 |
Shooting Statistics
| Team | FG % | 3PT % | FT % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | 39.3% | 27.3% | 61.7% |
| Illawarra | 42.9% | 30.8% | 68.4% |
Player Stat Leaders
| Team | Points | Rebs | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | R.Franks 22.7 | R.Franks 10.7 | L.Patterson 4.0 |
| Illawarra | D.Reath 21.3 | D.Reath 9.3 | T.Harvey 2.7 |
Last 3 Head to Head Matches
| Date | Matchup | Score | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th April, 21 | Illawarra vs Brisbane | 82-88 | (Bullets by 6 Pts) |
| 29th March, 21 | Illawarra vs Brisbane | 96-72 | (Hawks by 24 Pts) |
| 26th Feb, 21 | Brisbane vs Illawarra | 97-91 | (Bullets by 6 Pts) |
Prediction
Nathan Sobey was hurt in the loss to the Wildcats, and it will be interesting to see if he suits up for this clash. However, the form and confidence of Bullets big man Robert Franks has been convincing, and he could provide a lot of headaches for the Hawks in Brisbane’s first home game.
Brisbane has looked ok away from home in the first few rounds of NBL22, and they should be tougher to beat at home. The Hawks are coming off a big double-overtime win, and a win in Brisbane may be a big ask, but this is a tough match to pick.