This preview has expired.

See all our latest betting tips or suggested betting sites

Illawarra Hawks vs Melbourne United Live Stream & Tips - Hawks to seal premiership in NBL Championship decider

Ryan Tucker

Editor

Last updated: 21 Mar 2025

Ryan Tucker 21 Mar 2025

Share this article

Illawarra Hawks vs Melbourne United expert predictions for Sunday’s Grand Final Series NBL matchup
Hawks have home advantage but need to overcome player injuries
Key players include Will Hickey for the Hawks & Chris Goulding for United

Illawarra Hawks vs Melbourne United Game 5 Preview
Head to Head
Illawarra Hawks Form
Melbourne United Form

Illawarra Hawks vs Melbourne United Game 5 Preview

The Hawks have been the best team all season long and have been able to climb out of the hole when they have looked dead and buried. The home court advantage in Game 5 can help deliver them the NBL25 title with Will Hickey the star of the show.

Illawarra won 10 of 14 games at home this season with an average win margin of 21 pts. No team in this series has won a home game.
The Hawks shot just 37% from the field in Game 4 yet won by 9 pts.
Chris Goulding was United’s best scorer this season averaging 18.4 per game in the regular season, he has not scored more than 17pts in this series.
Will Hickey had 22 as a starter in Game 4 and has averaged 11.6 in finals games off the bench this season.

Head to Head

Championship Series Results

Game 4: Melbourne United 71-80 Illawarra Hawks

Game 3: Illawarra Hawks 77-83 Melbourne United

Game 2: Melbourne United 100-102 Illawarra Hawks

Game 1: Illawarra Hawks 88-96 Melbourne United

2024/25 Regular Season Series

Illawarra won 2-1

Illawarra Hawks Form

The Hawks wrestled another win at John Cain Arena in Game 4 of the Championship Series on Wednesday.

Despite losing one of their top scorers in Trey Kell prior to the game and Sam Froling with an achilles injury during the game, the underdogs were able to control the majority of the match with Melbourne only leading at most by 5 points toward the end of the 2nd quarter.

Illawarra once again dominated the boards, taking 55 rebounds to Melbourne’s 43. Will Hickey and Darius Days were both promoted to the starting lineup with Hickey topscoring with 22 points aswell as taking 6 boards and dishing out 8 assists.

Days hit only 3-12 from the field but the single three he nailed was critical in the momentum swing late in the game for Illawarra. Lachie Olbrich was brilliant off the bench in his 26 minutes, scoring 13 pts on 5-11 shooting and taking 6 boards as well as blocking 2 shots.

Trey Kell will likely be available for game 5, Sam Froling will not.

Melbourne United Form

United fans can be forgiven for being nervous. They once again passed up the opportunity to secure a Championship Series on their home court with the nerves getting to the players.

Finals MVP candidate Matthew Dellavedova top scored with 17 together with Chris Goulding who shot just 31% from the field. Delly took 7 boards, had 6 assists and a steal in the contest but gave up the ball 4 times.

Melbourne’s success earlier in the series was when they dominated the paint and the boards forcing Illawarra to try and beat them with shooting. United couldn’t match it down low with Marcus Lee getting into foul trouble and no-one able to successfully stop Will Hickey.

Shea Ili is expected to be available for game 5 after missing games 3 & 4 with concussion.

Verdict

Illawarra Hawks v Melbourne United

I am backing the Hawks on pure emotion. They have been the best team all season long and have been able to climb out of the hole when they have looked dead and buried. The home court advantage will help deliver them the NBL25 title with Will Hickey the star of the show.

Illawarra -2.5

Line

@9/10 - 2 Units

£30 Free Bet

Use promo code NEWBONUS

Claim £30 free bet & 20 Free Spins. Use the promo code NEWBONUS. New Hollywoodbets account holders. 18 years or older. United Kingdom residents only. T&Cs apply.

Bet at Hollywood bets

Over 178.5

Game Total

@9/10 - 1 Unit

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

Bet at bet365

W Hickey 15+

Player Points

@8/5 - 1 Unit

Bet £50 to get £25 in Free Bets

Use promo code NEWBONUS

Bet £50 to Get a £25 Free Bet. Offer available to new customers only signing up with Promo Code only. Full T&C's apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org

Bet at Star Sports

W Hickey over 5.5

Rebounds

@20/21 - 1 Unit

£30 Free Bet

Use promo code NEWBONUS

Claim £30 free bet & 20 Free Spins. Use the promo code NEWBONUS. New Hollywoodbets account holders. 18 years or older. United Kingdom residents only. T&Cs apply.

Bet at Hollywood bets