Perth Wildcats vs SE Melbourne Phoenix Tips - NBL27 Round 1

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Thu 17 Sep 2026 12:06

Jeremy Darke 1 hour ago

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Phoenix favored at -1.5 in season opener vs Perth.
South East Melbourne comes in off strong pre-season form.
Angus Glover backed for 3+ three-pointers.

Perth Wildcats vs South East Melbourne Phoenix Tips (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)

Perth Wildcats vs South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL27 Expert Tips

South East Melbourne Phoenix are tipped to cover the +1.5 line against the Perth Wildcats in their NBL27 season opener at RAC Arena on Saturday night.

Perth Wildcats vs South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL27 Expert Tips
Key Stats
Perth Wildcats Form
South East Melbourne Phoenix Form

The Phoenix averaged a league-best 100.8 points per game last season and have looked sharp through the pre-season, including impressive Blitz wins over Sydney and Brisbane. Perth, meanwhile, lost both of their Blitz games against Cairns and Melbourne United.

Angus Glover 3+ three-pointers is the player prop, with the Phoenix guard showing excellent touch from outside throughout the pre-season. Glover opened with six triples and 24 points against B.League United, hit four against Saint Mary's and also knocked down two huge late threes in the comeback win over Melbourne United.

Back South East Melbourne +1.5 to start NBL27 with a road win, with Angus Glover also tipped to make 3+ three-pointers.

Key Stats

South East Melbourne averaged an NBL-best 100.8 points per game last season.
Perth lost both of their games at the NBL Blitz.
South East Melbourne won both of their NBL Blitz games.
Angus Glover made six three-pointers in his opening pre-season appearance.

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
04/03/2026	SEM	SEM 111-94	SEM -4.5	O 191.0
28/01/2026	PER	PER 101-93	PER +3.5	U 194.5
10/01/2026	SEM	PER 107-97	PER +5.0	O 187.0
18/12/2025	PER	SEM 77-76	SEM +1.5	U 184.5
02/11/2025	SEM	SEM 94-89	PER +5.5	U 185.5

Perth hold a 17-11 advantage over South East Melbourne since the Phoenix entered the NBL, but the recent meetings have been much closer. The Phoenix won three of five meetings last season, including a convincing 111-94 victory in their most recent clash.

Perth Wildcats Form

Perth's pre-season began with a 102-87 victory over Cairns before a winless NBL Blitz, losing 85-82 to the Taipans and 97-82 to Melbourne United.

The Wildcats enter NBL27 with Kristian Doolittle, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and Elijah Pepper among their key pieces. Doolittle is particularly important after being the only player in the league last season to lead his team in points (17.3), rebounds (7.3) and assists (3.6) per game.

South East Melbourne Phoenix Form

South East Melbourne put together a strong pre-season, including wins over Melbourne United and both of their NBL Blitz opponents. The Phoenix beat Sydney 101-84 and Brisbane 113-105 at the Blitz before closing their preparations with a 103-100 loss to New Zealand.

Glover has been one of their standout performers, while the Phoenix also enter the new season with a revamped roster featuring Skylar Mays alongside Nathan Sobey and a number of new additions.