Taranaki Mountainairs vs. Auckland Huskies – 7/16/20 NBL Basketball Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The Auckland Huskies and Taranaki Mountainairs meet Thursday morning in New Zealand NBL basketball action at The Trusts Arena.

The Auckland Huskies look for another win after winning four of their last six games. The Auckland Huskies is averaging 82.6 points on 43.8 percent shooting and allowing 86.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting. Jalen Bullups is averaging 21.4 points and 1.2 assists while Harrison Froling is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds. Marcel Jones is the third double-digit scorer and Tre Nichols is grabbing 2.5 rebounds. The Auckland Huskies is shooting 33.6 percent from beyond the arc and 69.4 percent from the free thitem line. The Auckland Huskies is allowing 37.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 40.8 rebounds per game.

The Taranaki Mountainairs look for another win to build on their four-game winning streak. The Taranaki Mountainairs is averaging 101.3 points on 53.9 percent shooting and allowing 96.8 points on 50.2 percent shooting. Kevin Foster is averaging 22.3 points and 0.8 assists while Derone Raukawa is averaging 17.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. Alonzo Burton is the third double-digit scorer and Dane Brooks is grabbing 4.3 rebounds. The Taranaki Mountainairs is shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc and 77.3 percent from the free thitem line. The Taranaki Mountainairs is allowing 37 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.5 rebounds per game.

The Auckland Huskies have won all three meetings against the Taranaki Mountainairs, which includes 16-point victory in the last meeting back in late June.

You could make a case for either of these teams based on their current form, but I guess the Taranaki Mountainairs and their explosive offense is the reason they’re favored here. The Taranaki Mountainairs top 100 points almost nightly and few teams in this league can keep up when shots are falling at that clip. However, the Auckland Huskies have won all three meetings against the Taranaki Mountainairs, which includes a beatdown just a couple of weeks ago where it was the Huskies who got whatever they wanted and actually had a 22-point at halftime. 

Based on the history between these clubs, I’m taking the Auckland Huskies and the free points.