Game Report: Hawks @ United | RD13 NBL26

It was a night of high drama and ultimate frustration for the Illawarra Hawks in Melbourne. After fighting tooth and nail to stay within reach through three quarters, the wheels fell off in the final period. A combination of ice-cold shooting and eye injury to JaVale McGee saw a tight contest turn into a 97-75 blowout loss at the hands of Melbourne United.

Grit in the Heat and a Captain's Return
After a scorching hot day in the Melbourne the Hawks looked in trouble early, trailing 38-22 in the second quarter. The situation looked even bleaker when Captain Tyler Harvey was forced to the locker room with an injury scare.

With the game potentially slipping away, Harvey showed massive heart to return at the 7-minute mark of the second quarter, immediately settling the group with a clinical score on a back cut. Despite the visible pain, the Captain carried the load for the offense, leading from the front to spark a fightback. Behind Harvey’s grit and Todd Blanchfield’s 8 first-half points during an 8-0 run, the Hawks managed to stabilize and go into the main break trailing by only six points, 47-41.

The Stoppage and the Shift
A bizarre 14-minute delay due to a shot clock malfunction threatened to derail the momentum in the third. Once play resumed, the Hawks found success feeding JaVale McGee, who was a force inside with 18 points through 30 minutes. A massive alley-oop from William "Davo" Hickey to McGee brought the Hawks within five points late in the third, but United’s perfect free-throw shooting (18/18 at that point) kept them ahead 74-67.

A Tough Finish at John Cain Arena
Any hope of a comeback evaporated in a nightmare fourth quarter. JaVale McGee was forced out of the game after a deep poke to the eye left him in significant pain. Without their interior anchor, the Hawks' offense went cold, being outscored 23-8 in the final frame. United closed the game on a ruthless 13-2 run to turn a competitive game into a 22-point rout.

HUNGRY JACK’S NBL SEASON 2025/26 | Rd 13
MELBOURNE UNITED 97 (Walker 21, Delany 18, Krebs 17)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 75 (McGee 18, Harvey 18, Blanchfield 12, Hickey 9)

Hawks Stat Leaders:
JaVale McGee: 18 PTS, 10 REB, 1 BLK
Tyler Harvey: 18 PTS (4/7 3pt), 3 AST, 2 STL
Todd Blanchfield: 12 PTS, 7 REB
Davo Hickey: 9 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST

Next Game: Time to Bounce Back
The Hawks return to The Sandpit this Saturday to face the ladder-leading Adelaide 36ers featuring NBL Superstar Bryce Cotton.

📅 Sat, Dec 20, 5:30 pm 🏠 Hawks vs 36ers
📍 WIN Entertainment Centre
🎟️ Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
📸 Check our social media for more game highlights and photos.