DrinkWise Preview: NBL22 - Round 7, Game 2 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United is set to face perhaps its biggest test of NBL22 thus far when they head on the road to face the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday afternoon.

It will be the first meeting between the two sides this season, and both teams will be looking to gain any edge as they justle for a stop atop the ladder.

Looking to continue their five-game winning streak, Melbourne will bring strong momentum into the contest after locking down the New Zealand Breakers earlier in Round 7.

The Hawks will also come in full on confidence, having taken away a hard fought victory on Thursday in the Freeway Series against the Sydney Kings.

The matchup will carry some extra importance, as it marks the inaugural game of the LifeChanger Cup Series between the two sides.

PLAYER TO WATCH

While Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and Chris Goulding each scored over 20 points in United’s win over the Breakers, the performance of Caleb Agada cannot be understated.

Agada scored 16 points, pulled down five rebounds, took away two steals and sent back one block, as well as drawing seven fouls.

A menace all over the court, Agada will be tested against the Hawks, with his defence and offence needed in a big way.

In United’s five-straight wins, the Olympian has averaged 18.6 points while being tasked with locking down some of the league’s top players.

Look for Agada to remain aggressive as a scorer, while doing his best to limit Illawarra’s array of wing bucket-getters. 

KEY MATCHUP

While Agada aims to lock down the Hawk’s perimeter players, a big part of the contest will come down to which of two of the NBL’s best shooters will find the bottom of the net more.

Chris Goulding and Tyler Harley each can put the ball in the hoop, there’s no question about that.

CG43 has been a flame-thrower in his five games this season (all victories), averaging his highest points-per-game since 2016 (18.2) while knocking down the third-highest amount of three-pointers per game in NBL history (4.6), only trailing Shane Heal (5.0 in 1994) and Andrew Gaze (4.7 in 1998/99).

This hot shooting has helped Goulding become the second active player to 5000 career points, and move into 14th all-time for three-point makes.

For Harvey, despite the fact his shooting has been down to start the season, the threat of his outside jumper and strong floater game remains dangerous.

Coming off his best game of the season (23 points, 6-7 from downtown), Harvey will be full of confidence as his side looks to put an end to United’s unbeaten run.

THE OTHER GUYS

The strength of the Hawks comes from their top-six players, who have all proved the ability to put points on the board in bunches on any night.

Inside, Duop Reath (17.4 points, eight rebounds per game) and Sam Froling (11 points, 10 rebounds per game) can both score from all over the court, and have shown the ability to switch effectively on the perimeter.

Outside the arc, Harvey, as well as Justinian Jessup, Antonius Cleveland and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (53.6 points per game combined) are all liable to go off from deep.

If United overcommit to taking away the three-ball however, each of these four can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim effectively.

GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks

Tip off: 1pm (AEDT), Sunday 16 January, 2022

Where: Win Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

Watch: Australia - ESPN, Foxtel, Kayo Freebies and 10 Peach