Whai Tauranga vs Otago Nuggets: Analysis and Prediction – Whai Tauranga will play a 7th round NBL NZ match against the Otago Nuggets at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre.
Whai Tauranga vs Otago Nuggets Odds
Whai Tauranga vs Otago Nuggets (1/2): 6.30 / 1.10
Asian Handicap (+12.5 / -12.5): 1.90 / 1.81
Total Over/Under (174.5): 1.87 / 1.83
Whai Tauranga Team News
After seven games played, as a new team in the league, the Whai Tauranga have underperformed. They currently find themselves on a three-game losing streak and own a 2-5 W-L record, which is enough to put them in ninth place outside the playoff zone.
Even though Whai had a full contingent of imports at disposal from the start and a solid domestic cast led by Jayden Bezzant and Kruz Perrott-Hunt, they desperately lacked an inside presence in the frontcourt. That has cost them massively as they have lost five out of the seven opening games. In addition, the most recent news coming from their dugout is the release of one of their imports, Vance Jackson, who has already left the club.
The Whai Tauranga are entering this game shorthanded without a full import cast and in very poor form. They also have one of the worst offenses in the league averaging only 75 ppg, so without one of their imports, their offensive production is definitely going to suffer against a powerhouse team like the Otago Nuggets.
Otago Nuggets Team News
The Otago Nuggets entered the new season with high hopes with the likes of the imports Ben Henshall, Kimani Lawrence and Zaccheus Darko-Kelly along with one of the biggest domestic players Tai Webster, but so far have underperformed and currently sit in sixth place with a 4-3 W-L record.
The Nuggets opened the new season in championship-calibre fashion with three straight wins, but then injuries and absences started to affect their team. Consequently, they entered a three-game losing slump, losing twice to the defending champions Canterbury Rams and the mighty Franklin Bulls, but in their final game they finally ended their losing streak with a massive 107:94 home victory over the Nelson Giants.
On their day, the Otago Nuggets can beat any team in the league. They are entering today´s clash as heavy favourites against the shorthanded Whai Tauranga and should be able to take advantage of their poor form and big absence to notch an all-important win that would propel them in the standings.
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Whai Tauranga vs Otago Nuggets H2H
This will be the first head-to-head meeting of these teams this season.
Absences and injuries
The Whai Tauranga have parted ways with one of their imports, Vance Jackson, while the Otago Nuggets have Tai Webster questionable due to a hip injury.
Whai Tauranga vs Otago Nuggets Prediction
The Whai Tauranga have just released one of their imports and will enter the game shorthanded riding a three-game losing streak. On the other hand, the Otago Nuggets are a much more superior team and would be huge favourites even if the hosts had a full roster. That is why we opted for the Otago Nuggets to win and to cover the spread.
Tip-off Time: Wednesday, 08.05.2024. 09:30 CET
Prediction: Otago Nuggets -12.5
Odds: 1.81
Sportsbook: MyBookie
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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