Melbourne United vs Adelaide 36ers Tips & Predictions - NBL27 Round 1

Ryan Tucker

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Last updated: Wed 16 Sep 2026 13:08

Ryan Tucker 2 hours ago

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Melbourne United tipped to cover the -3.5 line vs. Adelaide 36ers.
Luke Travers tipped for 15+ points after an MVP-level pre-season.
United have won 16 of their last 19 home games against Adelaide.

Luke Travers of Melbourne United. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images for NBL)

Melbourne United vs Adelaide 36ers NBL27 Expert Tips

The NBL27 season gets underway with Melbourne United tipped to cover the -3.5 line against last season's runners-up, the Adelaide 36ers, at John Cain Arena on Saturday night.

Melbourne United vs Adelaide 36ers NBL27 Expert Tips
Key Stats
Melbourne United Form
Adelaide 36ers Form

United have won 16 of their past 19 home games against Adelaide and each of their past six Round 1 games. Melbourne also won the NBL Blitz despite several key players being unavailable, while star recruit Cole Anthony has declared himself fit for the opener.

Luke Travers 15+ points is the second bet after an excellent start to his return to United. Travers averaged 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds across two Blitz games to claim tournament MVP, including a 23-point performance against Perth.

Back Melbourne United -3.5 at John Cain Arena, with Luke Travers 15+ points also tipped following his strong pre-season.

Key Stats

Melbourne have won 16 of their past 19 home games against Adelaide.
Melbourne have won their past six Round 1 games.
Adelaide have lost nine of their past 10 season openers.
Luke Travers averaged 18.0 points per game at the NBL Blitz.
Melbourne United vs Adelaide 36ers Head to Head

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
07/02/2026	MEL	ADE 87-76	ADE +2.5	U 181.0
12/12/2025	ADE	ADE 114-105	ADE -3.0	O 184.5
26/10/2025	MEL	MEL 81-80	ADE +5.5	U 184.5
04/01/2025	ADE	ADE 100-81	ADE +4.0	U 202.0
17/11/2024	MEL	MEL 113-93	MEL -4.0	O 181.0

Melbourne hold an 81-57 all-time advantage over Adelaide, although recent meetings have been much more competitive. Adelaide won the most recent clash 87-76 in February, while the teams split their six meetings across the previous two seasons.

Melbourne United Form

Melbourne won both games at the NBL Blitz, beating Perth 97-82 and Illawarra 103-98, before finishing their pre-season with a 90-86 loss to New Zealand.

Travers was the standout at the Blitz, while United managed to win without Anthony or Joe Ingles featuring. Anthony missed the tournament with a calf complaint but has since confirmed he will play against Adelaide.

Adelaide 36ers Form

Adelaide split their two NBL Blitz games, losing 100-99 to Illawarra before responding with a dominant 112-86 victory over Cairns.

The 36ers return much of the core that reached last season's Championship Series, including Bryce Cotton, Flynn Cameron, Isaac Humphries and Zylan Cheatham, with Trevor Gleeson taking over as head coach.

Verdict

Melbourne United v Adelaide 36ers

Back Melbourne United -3.5 at John Cain Arena, with Luke Travers 15+ points also tipped following his strong pre-season.

Melbourne -3.5

Line

$1.83 - 3 Units

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Luke Travers 15+

Points

$2.10 - 2 Units

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