Ili praises ‘bench boys’ ahead of second Blitz game

As United prepare for their clash with the Illawarra Hawks tonight, Shea Ili has heaped praise on the side’s bench unit.

Led by Matthew Dellavedova's 28 points, MU’s bench accounted for 51% of Melbourne’s scoring output against the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday night.

Ili, who finished the game with 15 points of his own, said the group provided the spark needed to get the team over the line in the come from behind win.

“We fought back and didn’t let up when we were down,” he said.

“That second group; the bench boys, they came in and brought that energy when we needed it. We kind of pushed them in the third quarter and they gave us a good chance to win.”

The contest was the first time both Ili and Dellavedova had shared the court since the latter departed for his NBA return last season. Now that Delly is back, the kiwi point guard couldn’t be happier.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a1ZD8NxcdwA?si=SlfN5x6635jdh_Zz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

“It’s great, his leadership on the court and his aggressiveness to score when we needed buckets was great out there and it’s good to have him back.”

Melbourne United will next take to the court tonight at 5pm against the Illawarra Hawks. The game will be streamed live and free on Kayo Freebies.