Series In Focus: Melbourne v Perth

The schedule

Game 1: Melbourne v Perth - Thursday, February 27, 7.30pm AEDT
Game 2: Perth v Melbourne - Saturday, March 1, 8pm AEDT
Game 3: Melbourne v Perth - Tuesday, March 4, 7.30pm AEDT (if required) 

How to watch & follow

Enjoy a half hour pre-game show 30 minutes prior to tip off for every game of the Hungry Jack's NBL25 Playoffs Series, live on ESPN.

All games are live on ESPN, with Sunday fixtures also live and free on 10 & 10 Play.

More information and international audiences >> NBL25: How to watch & live scores

Follow the NBL via social media to get all the behind-the-scenes access and information on the go. 

Get social >> Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok | X

Season results

Melbourne 97 defeated Perth 68
Melbourne 106 defeated Perth 97
Melbourne 99 defeated Perth 93

Stat leaders

Melbourne
PPG: Chris Goulding 18.4
RPG: Jack White 9.4
APG: Matthew Dellavedova 7.1

Perth
PPG: Bryce Cotton 28.5
RPG: Kristian Doolittle 7.5
APG: Bryce Cotton 4.6

Keen an eye on...

It’s been one of the best post-season rivalries in the NBL of the last decade and tensions will reach boiling point once again in this series. No matter when the Wildcats play United, these games usually go down to the wire and are filled with individual brilliance on both sides. 

History is not on the Wildcats' side as they venture over to Melbourne for Game 1, having lost 17 of the last 22 games. However, this Perth team is peaking at the perfect time and coming off an impressive 17-point win over the Phoenix in the Play-In game.

Led by five-time MVP Bryce Cotton, this could be the most balanced Wildcats team in recent seasons, with many stars capable of stepping up to support their superstar.

To make this matchup even more entertaining, the last time these two teams met in the post-season was during a Championship Series. It was United who swept Perth to become champions in 2021, while the Wildcats secured a title on United’s home floor in Game 4 back in 2019.

It’s a rivalry that has been built on the back of success from both clubs, with only one able to continue their journey to add to the trophy cabinet.

Players to watch

Outside of Cotton, the Wildcats have one of the best supporting casts in the competition. In their last win it was Keanu Pinder and Kristian Doolittle who were instrumental in pushing the lead out late in the game to get the win. Both bigs have proven to be key contributors to the high-powered Wildcats offence this season and will have to continue this to take pressure off Cotton.

For United, all eyes will be on the role Shea Ili plays in slowing down Cotton and limiting his impact. In the two games during the regular season where they met, Ili was dominant in doing just that and unsurprisingly led to two wins. On the offensive end, it’s been Jack White and Chris Goulding who have torched Perth throughout the season in a variety of ways. It was Goulding who put up 46 points on the Wildcats, including 25 in the third quarter earlier in the season. Whereas White was particularly aggressive a month ago when these two teams met and ripped apart the defence on numerous occasions. 

What's being said

Chris Goulding on Perth: "They're a potent scoring team and they've really leaned into their scoring ability. They want to put points on the board and put them on quick. We feel like when we're really good we're one of the best, if not the best, defensive teams in the league. It's going to be a clash on those ends - whether our defence can hold up against a really talented offensive team."

Kristian Doolittle on Melbourne: "In the games that they beat us, besides the one where we didn’t play as ourselves and got beaten by like-30, I felt like we should have won both of those games. Due to our own mistakes we lost the game on our own. It’s not necessarily that you have to change everything, we’ve just got to be stronger in those moments."

The stat

Melbourne has won each of its last nine games when allowing fewer than 90 points. 

Missing in action

Jack White is set to make his return from a back injury, meaning both teams will be at full strength.