NBA champion Delly has United on cusp of NBL title

• Melbourne United are one game away from the NBL 2025 Championship after an 83-77 win at the WIN Entertainment Centre in game three
• Jack White bounced back from a disappointing game two to have 20 points in game three
• Illawarra led by as many as 11 points early in the fourth quarter

NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova inspired Melbourne United to another fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Illawarra Hawks 83-77 in game three of the NBL Championship Series and close within one game of the title.

United trailed by as many as 10 points before United, much like they did in game one of the series, suffocated Illawarra and answered right back to finish with a six-point win and give themselves a chance to close out the series at John Cain Arena on Wednesday.

Illawarra lost its way trying to land the knockout blow, missing four consecutive threes either out of rhythm or highly contested and it took them out of their stuff in the fourth quarter.

Dellavedova was the star of the game with 16 points, 11 assists and no turnovers as he led Melbourne without fierce defender Shea Ili. Dellavedova was clutch in the fourth making big play after big play. He is the first player in Finals history to have 11 assists without a turnover.

"The season's not over," Hawks coach Justin Tatum said.

"We got them at their place, just like they got us at our place twice. The first person who wins at home wins the series, so see you in Melbourne."

Jack White also impressed for United, bouncing back from a game two performance where he did not take a shot, to be crucial in game three, scoring 20 points in the victory.

The Hawks controlled the early proceedings, taking a 22-17 lead after the first quarter before Melbourne fought back to narrow the gap to 42-41 at halftime.

But the home side appeared to take control in the third period, outscoring United 25-19 to build a 67-60 advantage heading into the final frame.

The game turned dramatically in the fourth quarter when Melbourne's defence locked in, limiting the Hawks to just 10 points while scoring 23 of their own. With eight minutes remaining, Chris Goulding hit a crucial three-pointer to cut the deficit to four points, sparking a 12-2 run that gave United their first lead since the opening minutes.

White was outstanding for Melbourne, shooting an efficient 8-from-9 from the field including 3-from-4 from beyond the arc, to support Dellavedova who didn't have a turnover in his player of the game performance, while Ian Clark added 16 points and seven rebounds. Chris Goulding contributed 14 points and three steals, finishing with a game-high plus-28 in his 33 minutes on court.

The Hawks struggled from long range, connecting on just 8-from-36 (22.2%) three-point attempts. Tyler Harvey, normally a reliable shooter, went 0-from-7 from downtown while Hyunjung Lee provided a spark off the bench for Illawarra with 12 points including two three-pointers and Darius Days added 11 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes.

Melbourne's win gives them the chance to close out the series at home on Wednesday and also within one game of turning around last year's championship series loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Game three at John Cain Arena is at 7.30pm AEDT on Wednesday.