Thursday Night NBL Action for NBL23, and we have a doubleheader of NBL Finals Action to look forward to.
It starts at John Cain Arena, where the South East Melbourne Phoenix will take on the Perth Wildcats in a do-or-die contest at 6.30 pm Eastern Standard Time.
The winner of this match will take on the loser of the next game between the Taipans and the JackJumpers.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Perth Wildcats have been involved in some higher-scoring matches throughout the NBL23 Season. It will be interesting to see if the defensive intensity increases for a do-or-die finals match.
The Phoenix will go into this match as the favourites and have a fantastic home record, but the Perth Wildcats are coming off a big win over the Sydney Kings, and their star player Bryce Cotton had an off night.
Here is an SEM Phoenix vs Perth Wildcats Prediction for Thursday, Feb 9th, of NBL23.
South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Perth Wildcats
Venue – John Cain Arena
Tip Off – 6.30pm EST
Season Record
| Team | Win/Loss | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 15-13 | 11-3 | 4-10 |
| Wildcats | 15-13 | 9-5 | 6-8 |
Season Scoring
| Team | PPG | Opp PPG | Game Total Ave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 91.2 | 89.7 | 180.9 |
| Wildcats | 92.1 | 91.7 | 183.8 |
Quick Game Facts
- The Phoenix have won 10 of their past 11 matches as the home team
- The Wildcats have lost 5 of their past 6 away matches
- The combined Game Total average for the last 4 matches between these two sides is 196.3 points
Quick Player Facts – SEM Phoenix
- Mitch Creek has had 7+ rebounds in 8 consecutive matches
- Alan Williams is averaging 13 rebounds across his last 3 matches
- Ryan Broekhoff will suit up for this clash. He dropped 26 points in the win over the Wildcats back on Jan 22
Quick Player Facts – Perth Wildcats
- Bryce Cotton is coming off a season low 7 points, at 1/19 from the field in the win over the Kings last Sunday
- Corey Webster, Luke Travers and Jesse Wagstaff combined for 58 points between them in the win over the Kings last Sunday. They scored just 5 points between them in the loss to the Taipans two days prior
- Brady Manek is 26/52, at 50% from the three-point line across his last 7 games. He is averaging 16.3 points in that period
Prediction
The Phoenix made easy work of the Wildcats in their last encounter and dominated the rebounds, winning the match 112-91 on their home floor.
The Phoenix have been very good at home all season, but if the match is a shootout, the Wildcats have the offensive firepower to win this game.