Every Player Rated: Game 2

Derek Rucker has rated all the key players from Wednesday night's Game 2, with a return to form for a pair of star Hawks, and a tough night for a Melbourne big. 

Illawarra tied things at one game apiece with a 102-100 win, as Tyler Harvey landed an incredible game-winner with just seven seconds to play.

Game 3 between Illawarra and Melbourne tips off on Sunday at 5.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 10 Bold/10 Play.

The starters

Mason Peatling - Fell out of favour in Game 2, but it’s not a big deal. Tough to rate. 7/10

Sam Froling - Critical buckets and a strong performance with 23 points and 5 boards. Dangerous now that he has a feel for NBL Championship Series basketball. 9.1/10

Trey Kell III - Showed his class and talent in the first half, then was gritty in the second half. Kell offensive explosion incoming in Game 3. 8.4/10

Tyler Harvey - Jack Heverin called it perfectly, “BIG SHOT TAKER, BIG SHOT MAKER”. Harvey grasped the moment and saved the Hawks’ season. 9.6/10

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk - Hit two timely threes in Game 2. Offensively efficiency was excellent. Defensive effort was good in Game 2, but still hasn’t had the big lockdown game. 8.3/10

Off the bench

Dan Grida - Limited minutes, but good minutes. Could be an emotional performance booster in Game 3. 7.4/10

Darius Days - Shows moments of being impactful, but not frequently enough. Performed sufficiently in patchy minutes. 7.3/10

Hyunjung Lee - Showed tremendous intelligence to pass the ball to Tyler Harvey to set up the game-winning bucket. Played the right way with good energy. 7.4/10

Lachlan Olbrich - Keeps it simple. Plays the right way. Plays with a physical heaviness that is problematic for United. Seven points off the bench were significant. 8/10

Todd Blanchfield - Didn’t get involved. Had trouble finding space, but didn’t hurt the team in his minutes on court. 7/10

Will Hickey - At his dynamic best. Played a much better floor game, capitalised on opportunities and hit the two biggest free throws of his career late in the 4th. 8.4/10

The starters

Chris Goulding - Decent performance. Drew a lot of defensive attention and was key in the fourth quarter comeback. 8.3/10

Jack White - Early foul trouble and in a funk. Hasn’t found his spot in this series yet. Too talented to not attempt a shot in the entire game. Must reset mentally and find a way to contribute. 2/10

Matthew Dellavedova - Another solid game. Hit enough shots. Strong floor game and leadership. I anticipate a huge Game 3 from him. 8.3/10

Rob Loe - Foul trouble hurt his productivity. His defensive matchups are a concern for United. Needs to knock down some threes to balance the defensive issues. 5/10

Shea Ili - Missed most of the game due to a head knock in the second quarter. N/A

Off the bench

Ian Clark - Outstanding with 31 points and is United's best offensive weapon through two games. Is thriving on the big stage. 9.3/10

Kyle Bowen - Serviceable in his 15 minutes without being impactful. Could be on alert for more responsibility in Game 3. 7/10

Marcus Lee - Hasn’t missed a shot in the series. 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists in Game 2. He’s giving United more than they could have anticipated. Fouls and fatigue could become factors as the series progresses. 8.5/10

Tanner Krebs - Strong in the first half with 12 points. Limited court time in the second half. Very good game. 8.5/10

Flynn Cameron - good cameo. Continues to be unafraid of the moment. 7 points in 6 minutes but a -10 while on court. Tricky situation. 7.5/10