DrinkWise Preview: Round 10 Game 2 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United will be looking to maintain a top-two spot on the NBL ladder on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Arena when they face the Illawarra Hawks in what is set to be a great match up.

Having lost four games in a row, Dean Vickerman’s squad will be aiming to put on a show in front of a home crowd and get back on the winners list.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Mason Peatling is in his first season of professional basketball, but he has shown great signs of maturity with his relentless play and energy.

When he’s been called upon, Peatling has been ready to contribute. On Friday night against the Kings, Peatling was impressive in his 15 minutes of court time and finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

In games that he has gotten over 12 minutes of playing time in, Peatling has averaged 8.25 points and 5.25 rebounds. He’s proven that he is capable of competing on both ends of the court and with United having battled injuries and illness in recent times, Vickerman knows he can trust his young big man to come in and give good minutes.

KEY MATCH UP

The battle between Mitch McCarron and Tyler Harvey will be a good one. Both players stepped up when these two teams met in Round 9, but Harvey (23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists) ended up leading his team home. McCarron (16 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds) top-scored for United and did his best to keep Melbourne in that game, but it wasn’t enough as the Hawks ran out 77-69 winners.

Harvey is the guy for Illawarra and his teammates feed off his play. Averaging 20.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game, he has the ability to take over games – just as he did in Round 9 – and McCarron, who is relentless on both ends of the court, will relish another shot at this match up.

Despite United having lost four games in a row, McCarron has been a constant contributor. Averaging 14 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.25 assists over the course of the last four games, McCarron’s play hasn’t let up and he’ll be as desperate as anyone to turn things around.

THE OTHER GUYS

Illawarra sits third on the ladder with a 9-6 record.

The Hawks got the better of United last weekend and it was Harvey, Justinian Jessup and Cam Bairstow who did the damage. As stated earlier, Harvey is the key to the Hawks offence, but Illawarra relies on a host of players to get the job done.

Jessup is the sharpshooter from deep who was drafted by the Golden State Warriors last year and he has more than lived up to the hype in the NBL. Leave him open and he’ll make you pay; with shooting averages of 48% from the field and 47% from deep, it’s clear that he has been on fire all season long.

Bairstow’s last month of basketball has been impressive. He’s rediscovered great form and is a very dangerous big man in this league. Bairstow, Sam Froling and AJ Ogilvy form a strong big man trio for the Hawks and the likes of Jock Landale, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and Peatling will have to work together to slow them down.

Justin Simon, Deng Deng and Deng Adel also provide valuable minutes for the Hawks and with United’s depth being tested due to injury and illness, those three will be looking to make an immediate impact from the moment they step on the court.

GAME INFO

Who: Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks.

Tip off: 3:00pm (AEDT), Sunday 21 March.

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne.

Watch: SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.