Perth Wildcats vs Adelaide 36ers Verdict
The Adelaide 36ers have already recorded an impressive Round 1 win over Melbourne United and I'm backing them to go 2-0. They can cover a -3.5 line while Elijah Pepper 20+ points is backed for Perth's star.
- Adelaide opened NBL27 with a 97-95 road win over Melbourne United.
- Perth lost 100-79 at home to South East Melbourne in Round 1.
- Elijah Pepper scored 19 points in Perth's season opener.
- Perth will again be without import point guard Brandon Knight.
Head to Head
Perth hold a commanding 92-71 advantage across 163 meetings with Adelaide, but the 36ers won three of their four clashes last season.
Adelaide won the most recent meeting 95-84 in December, while Perth's lone victory came 86-74 at RAC Arena in February.
Perth Wildcats Form
Perth made a difficult start to NBL27 with a 100-79 home defeat against South East Melbourne. The Wildcats were within three points at the final change before being outscored 35-17 in the fourth quarter.
Kristian Doolittle led Perth with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr added 20 points and eight boards, while Pepper scored 19.
The Wildcats' lack of a recognised point guard remains a concern, with Knight unavailable against Adelaide and Jaron Rillie also sidelined.
Adelaide 36ers Form
Adelaide started Trevor Gleeson's tenure with an impressive 97-95 win over Melbourne United at John Cain Arena despite missing Isaac Humphries and John Jenkins III.
The Sixers shot 13-of-30 from three-point range, with Cotton leading the way with 29 points and seven assists.
The 36ers also had to overcome further adversity after Cameron suffered an ankle injury during the game and Nick Rakocevic fouled out.
Cameron's availability is therefore worth checking before locking in the 5+ assists bet, given the ankle issue reported after Round 1.