DrinkWise Preview: NBL24 - Playoffs Game 2 vs Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United sit one win away from a trip to the NBL Grand Final series, with the only obstacle in their way being the Illawarra Hawks.

MU completed an improbable comeback victory in Game One of the series, outscoring the visitors 38-13 across the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime register the comeback win.

Now heading to The ‘Gong for Game Two, United will have to be at their best to hold off Illawarra in a do-or-die matchup for the Hawks.

Melbourne have showcased their ability to pick up road W’s at the WIN Entertainment Centre, having won 10 of their past 12 games on Illawarra’s home floor.

PLAYER TO WATCH

After putting his side on his back for stretches of Game One, Matthew Dellavedova is set to head into Sunday’s contest full of confidence.

The NBA championship winner tallied a 30-point, 10-assist double-double on Thursday; a mark that had not been seen in the Playoffs since Andrew Gaze in 1997. 

Dellavedova has only ever surpassed 30 points one other time in his NBL career, and that was in his lone trip to Wollongong, where he dropped 33 points and seven three-pointers.

Look for Delly to be at his aggressive best as he looks to advance to his first ever Grand Finals series.

KEY MATCHUP

There is sure to be a lot of intrigue surrounding the matchup on the interior between Sam Froling and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.

The Hawks big-man got the better of their battle for much of the first three quarters on Thursday, however when it came to winning time, JLA stepped up in a big way.

Across the fourth quarter and overtime, Lual-Acuil Jr limited Froling to just five points on 2-5 shooting, while pulling down eight rebounds and swatting a pair of shots.

If United’s All-NBL star can stretch out that sort of performance across the entire game, the visitors will be well placed to come away with a huge win.

THE OTHER GUYS

For the vast majority of Game One, Illawarra wrestled away control of the game on the back of their high-octane offence.

Gary Clark put together another strong showing, as he has done for the entire year, while Tyler Harvey connected on three of his six looks from beyond the arc.

22 combined points from Hyunjung Lee and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, and 10 combined rebounds from former United players Davo Hickey and Mason Peatling proved that the Hawks depth is real, and needs to be considered heading into Game Two.

One player Illawarra may be hoping for more from could be Justin Robinson, who finished the contest as a game-low -16 and 10 missed shots.

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GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks

Tip-off: 3pm AEDT, Sunday 10 March, 2024

Where: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

Watch: ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel