DrinkWise Preview: NBL26 - Round 13, Game 1 v Illawarra Hawks

We are set to take the court for our second to last home game of 2025 on Thursday evening when the Illawarra Hawks travel down to Melbourne.

Having split our two games against the Hawks so far this season, the matchup looms as a massive contest for both teams.

Coming off the back of four consecutive losses, a win would see us tally our eighth home win, which would be equal-most in the competition.

For the Hawks, a 6-10 record has them out of Play-In contention at the halfway point of the season.

WHAT’S THE WORD?

Looking at the matchup, Head Coach Dean Vickerman stressed the importance of controlling the pace of the game.

“They’re back playing at a pretty high pace and really trying to run in as many transition baskets as possible,” Vickerman explained. 

“We can't have any live ball turnovers with them, they really punish you.”

On the other side, Hawks Head Coach Justin Tatum said limiting our work on the offensive glass; an area which they surrender the most in the league, will be crucial, as it was in their Round 12 win.

“The guys were really determined to pursue the ball (in Round 12), and that's something we really worked on and made an impact,” Tatum said.

“When we understand that we’re giving guys 10 to 12 extra shots, so if we limit that somehow, we give ourselves a shot.”

WHO’S HOT, WHO'S NOT

Defence will be the key focus for our lineup come Thursday, as we look to reverse a trend that has seen us give up the most points per game across the past four games.

Our bench has however been potent offensively in these contests, leading the league with 38 points per game.

Illawarra will be hoping to become the latest team to catch fire from beyond the arc against us, with the Hawks averaging just 5.3 three-pointers per game at 23.5% over the past two rounds.

DETAILS

Who: Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks

Tip-off: 7:30pm AEDT, Thursday 18 December, 2025

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne 

Watch: ESPN

Tickets: Available here

‍