Round 2 of the 2020 NBL Season continues on a Sunday Afternoon, and we have the Perth Wildcats hosting the South East Melbourne Phoenix at the RAC Arena in Perth.
The Perth Wildcats come into the 2021 NBL Season with several changes to their lineup, but one thing is for sure, they have lost a lot of defence this season. Nick Kay, Terrico White, Damian Martin and Myles Plumlee are all great defenders, and that part of their game will need to stay strong if they are going to contend this season.
Saturday Night NBL Action saw another upset in which the Sydney Kings managed to defeat the Cairns Taipans on the back of stellar performances from their two imports.
Be sure to check before each NBL Round for NBL Tips, NBL Predictions, NBL Previews and NBL Player Props for each round of the 2020 NBL Season.
Perth Wildcats vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Last Meeting
17th January 2020, Perth Wildcats 97 – South East Melbourne Phoenix 71
Previous History
Perth Wildcats– 3 Wins
South East Melbourne Phoenix – 0 Wins
Last Round
The Wildcats will be making their first appearance in the 2021 NBL Season and will after a quick start after several changes to their Championship winning 2020 outfit.
The Phoenix are coming off a couple of matches in Adelaide in which they had a split record in Round 1. They make the trip over to Perth for a couple of games starting on Sunday and ending on Friday.
Prediction
The Wildcats have lost several players from last season, but they are the Wildcats and are the most successful NBL club in history.
When Bryce Cotton is on, they are always competitive, and they still have many guys that can shoot the triple, which will make it hard for sides to double team the MVP. The main concerns are their defence and who will step up if Bryce has an off night. John Mooney in many ways is a lot like Nick Kay, but probably not as reliable from the land of plenty. He will crash the boards and more than likely go close to averaging a double-double this season. If the likes of Norton, Steindl, Wagstaff and Blanchfield can maintain consistency and Bryce does his thing, they should be a pretty good chance in this one.
For the Phoenix, Mitch Creek is their man and got in foul trouble in the last match, but they still won. Kyle Adnam seems to have lifted his game this season, and Keifer Sykes will be looking to take on the league MVP Bryce Cotton. It is hard to see them knocking off the Wildcats at the Perth Arena though.
Our Pick – Perth Wildcats (Win)
NBL Player Prop
Player Prop – John Mooney + 8.5 Rebounds
Mooney was a proven rebounder in his college days and looked the good in their pre-season clashes. He will be playing in the middle and will get many chances to pull down boards in this clash.