{"id":264885,"date":"2025-11-05T18:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T18:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/264885\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T18:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T18:58:10","slug":"force-multipliers-mcgee-hickey-bruise-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/264885\/","title":{"rendered":"Force multipliers: McGee, Hickey bruise United"},"content":{"rendered":"

JaVale McGee\u2019s 37-point masterclass powers Illawarra Hawks to a dominant 107\u201393 win over United<\/p>\n

Balance has returned to the Force \u2013 it’s not just how the Illawarra Hawks<\/a> delivered a wire-to-wire 107-93 win against Melbourne United<\/a> it’s the fact the defending champions have their barometer back, signed an aggressive backcourt guard, and … JaVale McGee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

William “Davo” Hickey<\/a> changes the dynamic for the Hawks, new import QJ Peterson gives All-NBL First Team star Tyler Harvey the freedom to create, and McGee getting touches anywhere inside 10-feet is almost unstoppable.<\/p>\n

McGee, 37, delivered a career night with 37 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, a block and assist in just 31 minutes. <\/p>\n

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” McGee said.<\/p>\n

“That\u2019s one thing I struggle with sometimes \u2013 staying consistent on the aggressive end.<\/p>\n

“I get a little too unselfish, where I\u2019m by the rim and try to pass it.<\/p>\n

“But my teammates were really pushing the pace today.<\/p>\n

“I think that\u2019s what really helped. I was down the floor, they were throwing it ahead \u2013 it was a big team effort tonight.”<\/p>\n

\"\"\/JaVale McGee dominated the round eight NBL match between Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 5, 2025 in Wollongong. Photo: Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Less than a week ago, Tatum apologised for his team getting destroyed by 42 by the New Zealand Breakers<\/a>. In the first game of Round 8, Tatum talked about mental toughness in their response.<\/p>\n

“The mentality,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The mentality from the beginning \u2013 the passion, the desire to really want to go out there and play well and win the game.<\/p>\n

“The guys were locked in. Everybody was locked in on the KYPs and just wanted to find a way to play well at home.<\/p>\n

“The determination the guys came out with today \u2013 that\u2019s what stood out to me the most.”<\/p>\n

The Hawks moved off the bottom of the ladder and are 3-6 while United have dropped two straight after starting the season 9-0. <\/p>\n

“JaVale\u2019s a tough guard out there,” Tatum added.<\/p>\n

“(Jesse)\u00a0Edwards is a really good, solid defender, and for JaVale to be aggressive and do the things he did, it opens up everything for everybody else.<\/p>\n

“The more aggressive he is \u2013 getting shots up, seeing his teammates \u2013 the better we are.<\/p>\n

“Melbourne tried to go one-on-one, doubled here and there, but as long as he\u2019s aggressive, it\u2019s good for us.”<\/p>\n

McGee had Edwards in foul trouble early and kept him there. Edwards played just 18 minutes and McGee took advantage, out-sizing and out-muscling the United front court. McGee’s 37 came on 13-from-21 from the field.<\/p>\n

Tatum said Hickey was the Hawks glue-guy.<\/p>\n

“It feels like since Davo came back, we\u2019ve been developing chemistry and finding balance,” he said.<\/p>\n

“He didn\u2019t play the first six games. Every game he\u2019s played, we\u2019ve had different energy, a different pace, a different respect for that position.<\/p>\n

“I just feel like teams can\u2019t guard him and JaVale \u2013 especially on our screen-rolls.<\/p>\n

“If you\u2019re worried about me on the roll, he\u2019s got a wide-open layup. He can pass and throw the lob \u2013 it\u2019s a dangerous duo.<\/p>\n

“With our shooters around it, it\u2019s even more dangerous.”<\/p>\n

\"\"\/William “Davo” Hickey of the Hawks celebrates a big bucket during the round eight NBL match between Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United at WIN Entertainment Centre, on November 5, 2025 in Wollongong. Photo: Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Illawarra has Cairns on Friday night and United arch rival South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday and undoubtedly, basketball.com.au’s Power Rankings<\/a> have already been blown up just one game into Round 8.<\/p>\n

JaVale McGee \u2013 Box Score<\/p>\n

\u200dMinutes: 31:26 \u2502 Points: 37 \u2502 FG: 13-21 (61.9%) \u2502 3PT: 1-1 (100%) \u2502 FT: 10-11 (90.9%) \u2502 Rebounds: 14 (5 OR \/ 9 DR) \u2502 Assists: 1 \u2502 Turnovers: 3 \u2502 Steals: 2 \u2502 Blocks: 1 \u2502 Breaks: 1 \u2502 Fouls: 4 \u2502 Fouled Drawn: 9 \u2502 Plus\/Minus: +16 \u2502 Efficiency: 43<\/p>\n

Key DetailsBy the NumbersJaVale McGee (Illawarra Hawks) starred with 37 points, 14 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block in 31 minutes.Jesse Edwards (Melbourne United) scored 19 points, had six rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in 18 minutes.What Happened<\/p>\n

The Hawks established control early, jumping to a 32-22 lead in the first quarter and extending it to 57-43 by halftime. Their dominance continued throughout the contest, never relinquishing the lead while maintaining a double-digit advantage for most of the game.<\/p>\n

JaVale McGee was exceptional for the Hawks, shooting an efficient 13-from-21 from the field while dominating the glass with 14 rebounds. His 37-point performance included a perfect 1-from-1 from three-point range and an outstanding 10-from-11 from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n

Tyler Harvey and William “Davo” Hickey provided solid support for Illawarra, contributing 17 and 18 points respectively. Hickey added seven rebounds and seven assists, showcasing his all-round ability as the Hawks controlled the tempo throughout.<\/p>\n

For Melbourne United, Finn Delany led the scoring with 21 points on 9-from-13 shooting, while Jesse Edwards was perfect from the field with 8-from-8 for 19 points. Milton Doyle dished out 11 assists but struggled from beyond the arc, going 0-from-3 as United shot a dismal 21.2% (7-from-33) from three-point range compared to Illawarra’s stellar 54.5% (12-from-22).<\/p>\n

The Hawks’ superiority on the boards was evident, out-rebounding United 50-37, including 13 offensive rebounds that led to valuable second-chance points. Illawarra also shot significantly better from the free-throw line, connecting on 25-from-27 attempts (92.6%) while Melbourne struggled with just 8-from-14 (57.1%).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JaVale McGee\u2019s 37-point masterclass powers Illawarra Hawks to a dominant 107\u201393 win over United Balance has returned to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-264885","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}