Bay Hawks vs. Taranaki Airs Prediction, Tips & Odds – Jun 18, 2022 09:30 CET
The Bay Hawks were superb against the Southland Sharks a week ago earning a hard-fought but a convincing 107:92 home win. In their sole game of the round they welcome the Taranaki Airs, who arrive to Hawke´s Bay without their main rebounder and starting centre.
You can watch the game entirely for free HERE.
Bay Hawks vs Taranaki Airs Odds
Spread Odds (-8.5/+8.5): 1.83/1.89
Total Over/Under (175.0): 1.84/1.86
Bay Hawks Team News
In a season riddled with injuries, absences and surprise departures, the Hawks have been one of the most consistent teams so far. Before this month began they turned into real road warriors with a streak of six away games but they proved they still have what it takes to compete for the title and beat the top teams away from home. All of their starters are averaging double figures including their most recent import reinforcement Tajuan Agee, whose presence added a new dimension to their already highly efficient offense.
The game against the Airs became even more important after the league leaders Auckland suffered a shocking home defeat to the undermanned Otago Nuggets couple of days ago. With a win today, the Hawks can surpass the second-placed Nuggets and tie themselves at the top of the standings with Auckland.
The @NZBayHawks pick up their first home win of 2022 with a 107-92 victory over the @SouthlandSharks 🔥
Jordan Hunt went OFF with 32 PTS on 12-of-19 shooting from the field 💪
📝Read the game recap here: https://t.co/zNKYYgmptc#SalsNBL #LetsGo @skysportnz pic.twitter.com/eY5XAjFU71
— Sal’s NBL (@nznbl) June 9, 2022
Taranaki Airs Team News
When they signed imports Javonte Douglas and Anthony Hilliard, it was immediately clear the Airs would instantly turn from a bottom team into a title contender. That´s exactly what happened as they took down some formidable opponents recently including the league leaders Auckland. In a dramatic ending last Friday the Airs escaped with an upset in the dying moments, but we wouldn´t even call that win an upset because Taranaki already beat Southland and Otago prior to taking down Auckland.
They now travel to face the Hawks without their starting centre and main rebounder Tai Wynyard, who has played in all of the games so far and has been his team´s main balancer. He got selected to play for New Zealand at the upcoming 3×3 World Cup which means the Airs will have a serious height disadvantage and problems on the boards against the hottest team in the league.
🚨🚨🚨 We’re excited to announce our 3X3 Tall Blacks squad for the Crelan FIBA 3X3 World Cup in Belgium this month!
📰 Read more at: https://t.co/g5zR3r1IPL pic.twitter.com/IXz1Fj7mzZ
— Tall Blacks (@TallBlacks) June 2, 2022
Bay Hawks vs Taranaki Airs Prediction
The Airs are now a serious team with their new reinforcements and can compete with anyone in the league. However, they will have an irreplaceable absence in their frontcourt for this game so their main scorer Anthony Hilliard will have to have a game for the ages if they want to keep it tight. The Hawks have been very stable recently and in excellent offensive form so we expect them to take advantage of Taranaki´s roster problems and cover the spread.
Prediction: Handicap Bay Hawks (-8.5)
Odds: 1.83
Bookmaker: 22bet
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