Looking at the latest Australian National Basketball League (NBL) fixture, the Perth Wildcats have the inside track in getting the league’s best record—and are looking more like legit contenders to bag their sixth NBL crown, if the betting odds are to be believed.

Five-time NBL champions Wildcats are primed for another title run with a 10-1 win-loss card after eight round of play in the regular season. Perth won the league championship in 1990, 1991, 1995, 2000 and 2010.

Four ‘cats average in double-figure scoring for Perth; James Ennis with 22.2 points per game (2nd overall in the NBL); Shawn Redhage with 16.9 PPG; Jermaine Beal with 15.4 PPG; and Jesse Wagstaff with 10.0 PPG.

The 6-foot-7 Ennis is also fifth in the league in rebounds, hauling 7.2 boards per outing. Perth’s point guard Damian Martin is third in the NBL in assists with 4.7 dimes per game.

NBL Ladder (Round 9)
 1. Perth Wildcats 10-1
2. Adelaide 36ers 8-2
3. Sydney Kings 5-4
4. New Zealand Breakers 4-6
5. Melbourne Tigers 4-6
6. Townsville Crocodiles 3-5
7. Cairns Taipans 2-7
8. Wollongong Hawks 2-7

Entering Round 9, the Perth Wildcats are priced at 1.9 to win the 2013-2014 NBL title.

The Adelaide 36ers are not far behind the betting line or actual record—priced at 3.5 and is second in the NBL ladder with 8 wins in 10 outings. They are also the hottest team in the league stringing six wins in a row.

Odds to Win 2013-2014 NBL Championship
 Perth Wildcats (1.9)
Adelaide 36ers (3.5)
Sydney Kings (7.0)
New Zealand Breakers (11.0)
Melbourne Tigers (15.0)
Townsville Crocodiles (34.0)
Cairns Taipans (34.0)
Wollongong Hawks (67.0)

After the regular season consisting of 28 games, the top four teams advance to the Finals. The top two seeded teams gain the homecourt advantage in the best-of-three series against the third and fourth teams. The winners of these match-ups advance to another best-of-three series, the NBL Grand Final.

With still lots of games to play in the NBL regular season, even the teams outside the Finals picture still have a chance to go all the way—and their backers can win way more money if they do.

The simple formula is simple: X (Amount of Bet) times Betting Odds = Total Payout

For example, a bet of $100 on the Wildcats (1.9) will earn the bettor a total of $190 payout (or $90). To compare, the same bet of $100 on the Wollonghong Hawks (67.0) will earn the bettor of $6,700 (or $6,600 winnings)!

Adelaide stakes their six-game winning run this weekend when they face Townsville on Friday and Cairns on Saturday.

NBL Round 9 Schedule (All times AEST)
 December 6 (Friday) | 7:30 pm – Adelaide vs. Townsville
December 6 (Friday) | 6:30 pm – NZ Breakers vs. Perth
December 7 (Saturday) | 7:30 pm – Sydney vs. Wollongong
December 7 (Saturday) | 7:30 pm – Adelaide vs. Cairns
December 8 (Sunday) | 2:30 pm – NZ Breakers vs. Melbourne

Catch all the NBL action in the league’s official site.