IN LAST night’s Round 13 NBL matchup, Melbourne United went toe to toe against the struggling Illawarra Hawks, with United winning 97-75. Whilst the Hawks were able to keep it fairly close throughout the game, the fourth quarter was detrimental for them as they only scored eight points compared to United’s 23.

With a 6-11 record, this season has not been one to remember for Illawarra, especially considering that the Hawks finished first on the ladder in their previous season and won the NBL championship. Injuries have been their main setback with William Hickey only recovering from injury recently and Sam Froling who is yet to make his season debut with an Achilles injury.

Tyson Walker was absolutely incredible, recording a double double with 21 points and 10 assists, also while racking up three steals. Along with Walker some other standouts were Tanner Krebs and Finn Delany, who were aggressive offensively from the get go.

Jesse Edwards also went out and put in a solid performance, proving that he has been an incredibly valuable signing for Melbourne United. Whilst United’s primary scorer Milton Doyle struggled to get into a rhythm, scoring nine points on 33 per cent shooting, other players were able to step up and take that same scoring role that Doyle usually has.

Melbourne United started the season off looking unbeatable, even getting to a point where they were 10-0, but their form has slowed down to which they now sit at second on the table just behind the Bryce Cotton-led Adelaide 36ers. United knew this was a must win, especially as they were coming off of four losses in a row.

The Illawarra Hawks continued their struggling season, and although they were coming off of a win against the Brisbane Bullets, were almost destined for a loss to United as JaVale McGee and Hickey’s performances were simply not good enough for the Hawks to secure a win, as the game ultimately comes down to the big three of Tyler Harvey, Hickey and McGee.

In their most previous matchup against United, they were able to keep it very close, losing by just three points, 105-102, with McGee scoring an extraordinary shot from just behind half court, which would have tied the game but unfortunately did not count. Illawarra could not get the job done last night either, and the next two games will be very difficult for the reigning champions as they will face off against both the Adelaide 36ers and the Sydney Kings, and will look to cause an upset.

United will now look to gather back their form which they showed us at the start of the season, as they look to be contenders along with Adelaide, but have shown weaknesses which need to be fixed if they want to win a championship. While the Hawks have struggled so far this season, it is not too late to jump into that top five spot if they are able to just get a couple more wins together, and with the return of Hickey and his potential to impact, there is no reason why not.