'Best team won': JT admits Hawks not good enough

• Latest News: Read more about the NBL here
• Box Scores: All 165 games of the 2025-26 NBL season
• 2025-26 NBL Team Lists and Roster Tracker

Melbourne United's Chis Goulding out, Shai Illi played just eight minutes before a hamstring injury, Jesse Edwards coming off the bench and still defending champion head coach Justin Tatum was forced to admit his Illawarra Hawks just weren't good enough.

United snapped their four-game losing streak 97-75 in round 13 of NBL26 on Thursday, December 18, 2025 in Melbourne.

"Melbourne was very aggressive," Tatum said.

"They came out determined to win the game. We didn’t match the intensity. Our offense was out of whack a little bit here and there, and the best team won."

United delivered a commanding four-quarter performance, controlling the contest from the opening minutes and never relinquishing the lead.

United set the tone early with a 24–20 first quarter, steadily extending their advantage through the middle periods before completely suffocating Illawarra in the final term. The Hawks were held to just eight points in the fourth quarter, as Melbourne’s defensive pressure and rebounding dominance turned the game into a runaway.

The home side led for 39:09 of game time, with only two lead changes early, and pushed the margin out to a game-high 24 points. Illawarra never led at any stage.

Melbourne’s ball movement, depth scoring and control of the glass proved decisive, while Illawarra struggled to generate consistent offense beyond their two primary scorers.

"I just thought over the last two games – the overtime games – we got back to being really solid defensively, and I thought that showed up again tonight," United head coach Dean Vickerman said.

"There’ll be some frustration with little errors. I just thought in that first half, once we got up 15, our errors kind of allowed them to come back in the game.

"Some of that was how we defended the three-point line. I thought we just gave up too many easy ones in that first half that allowed them to hang around.

"But when the game was on the line, in the fourth quarter, I thought we really locked down, got stops, and made them shoot the shots that we wanted them to shoot.

"McGee was a little problem in the third quarter with his lobs, and we did a better job of handling that in the fourth.

"I thought we played at a good pace. Nice to see a couple of three balls go through for us, and yeah, 22 of 22 from the line – that always helps a bit.

Outside of JaVale McGee and Tyler Harvey, Illawarra struggled for offensive efficiency, with no other Hawk reaching double figures until late.

"We’re 6 and 11," Tatum said.

"Write it out how you want to, because you’re probably going to word it how you want to, but we’re 6 and 11.

"We need to get better, because we’re not in the playoffs and not in reach of the playoffs."

• Fourth quarter: Melbourne +15 (23–8)
• Time in lead: Melbourne 39:09 – Illawarra 0:00
• Biggest lead: Melbourne by 24
• Free-throw differential: Melbourne +15 points

Melbourne United’s defensive intensity, rebounding dominance and flawless free-throw shooting powered a comprehensive win. Illawarra stayed competitive through three quarters but were completely shut down late, exposed by turnovers and limited scoring depth. United looked composed, deep and in control from start to finish.

Score by Quarter

• Q1: Melbourne 24 – Illawarra 20
• Q2: Melbourne 23 – Illawarra 21
• Q3: Melbourne 27 – Illawarra 26
• Q4: Melbourne 23 – Illawarra 8

Team Statistical Breakdown – Shooting

• FG: Melbourne United 32–79 (40.5%) │ Illawarra Hawks 30–76 (39.5%)
• 3PT: Melbourne United 11–31 (35.5%) │ Illawarra Hawks 8–24 (33.3%)
• FT: Melbourne United 22–22 (100%) │ Illawarra Hawks 7–11 (63.6%)

Melbourne’s perfect night at the free-throw line (+15 points at the stripe) proved a major separator, especially as the game opened up late.

Rebounding & Possession

CategoryMelbourneIllawarraRebounds5242Offensive Rebounds1915Assists2218Turnovers1116

United’s +10 rebounding margin and ability to convert second-chance opportunities kept Illawarra constantly on the back foot.

Defensive Impact

• Steals: Melbourne 13 – Illawarra 6
• Blocks: Melbourne 4 – Illawarra 6
• Forced turnovers and ball pressure led directly to transition scoring, particularly in the second half.

Key Performers

Melbourne United

• Tyson Walker: 21 points, 10 assists, 5-of-5 FT, +27
• Finn Delany: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, +29
• Tanner Krebs: 17 points, 3 threes, +30
• Jesse Edwards: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, +15
• Milton Doyle: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, steady two-way presence

Melbourne had six players score seven points or more, underlining their depth and balance.

Illawarra Hawks

• JaVale McGee: 18 points, 10 rebounds, strong interior presence
• Tyler Harvey: 18 points, 4-of-7 from three, 3 assists
• Todd Blanchfield: 12 points, 7 rebounds