2025 NBL Finals

2025 NBL finals

Team Coach Wins Illawarra Hawks Justin Tatum 3 Melbourne United Dean Vickerman 2
Country	Australia
Dates	11 February – 23 March
Season	2024–25
Teams	6
Defending champions	Tasmania JackJumpers (did not qualify)
Matches played	14
Attendance	97,795 (6,985 per match)
All statistics correct as of 23 March 2025.
←  2024 NBL finals

The 2025 NBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball League's 2024–25 season.

As Australia and New Zealand participated in 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualification, the league took a break during the FIBA international window of 17–25 February 2025. ^[1]

Format

The finals will be played in February and March 2025 between the top six teams of the regular season, consisting of three play-in games, two best-of-three semifinal series and the best-of-five Grand Final series, where the highest seed hosted the first, third and fifth games. ^[2]

The top two seeds in the regular season automatically qualified to the semifinals. Teams ranked three to six competed in the play-in tournament. The third seed played the fourth seed for third spot and the loser played the winner of fifth or sixth for the fourth seed. ^{[3] [4]}

Qualification

Qualified teams

Team	Date of qualification	Round of qualification	Finals appearance	Previous appearance	Previous best performance	Ref.
Illawarra Hawks	21 January 2025	17	24th	2024	Champions (2001)	[5]
Melbourne United	26 January 2025	18	29th	2024	Champions (1993, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2021)	[6]
Sydney Kings	26 January 2025	18	19th	2024	Champions (2003, 2004, 2005, 2022, 2023)	[6]
Perth Wildcats	30 January 2025	19	38th	2024	Champions (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)	[7]
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	30 January 2025	19	3rd	2023	Semifinalist (2021)	[7]
Adelaide 36ers	8 February 2025	20	26th	2018	Champions (1986, 1998, 1999, 2002)	[8]

Ladder

Pos	2024–25 NBL season v t e
	Team	Pld	W	L	PCT	Last 5	Streak	Home	Away	PF	PA	PP
1	Illawarra Hawks	29	20	9	68.97%	4–1	W3	10–4	10–5	2941	2645	111.19%
2	Melbourne United	29	19	10	65.52%	4–1	W4	9–6	10–4	2771	2652	104.49%
3	Perth Wildcats	29	18	11	62.07%	3–2	W3	10–5	8–6	2903	2811	103.27%
4	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	29	16	13	55.17%	2–3	L1	10–4	6–9	2787	2656	104.93%
5	Sydney Kings	29	16	13	55.17%	2–3	L3	7–7	9–6	2630	2557	102.85%
6	Adelaide 36ers	29	13	16	44.83%	2–3	L3	9–6	4–10	2736	2796	97.85%
7	Tasmania JackJumpers	29	13	16	44.83%	1–4	W1	9–5	4–11	2435	2553	95.38%
8	Brisbane Bullets	29	12	17	41.38%	2–3	L1	6–8	6–9	2678	2838	94.36%
9	New Zealand Breakers	29	10	19	34.48%	1–4	L1	6–9	4–10	2485	2650	93.77%
10	Cairns Taipans	29	8	21	27.59%	3–2	L1	4–11	4–10	2561	2769	92.49%

Updated to match(es) played on 8 February 2025. Source: NBL.com.au

Ladder progression

	Leader and qualification to semifinals
	Qualification to semifinals
	Qualification to play-in
	Last place

2024–25 NBL season

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Adelaide 36ers	8	8	6	5	5	4	4	4	4	6	9	8	8	8	8	7	7	6	6	6
Brisbane Bullets	6	10	9	9	7	8	7	8	7	9	8	7	5	7	7	8	8	8	8	8
Cairns Taipans	10	7	4	6	6	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Illawarra Hawks	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	3	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Melbourne United	2	3	5	3	4	2	3	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	3	2	2	2
New Zealand Breakers	5	2	1	1	2	3	1	2	2	3	5	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9
Perth Wildcats	4	5	8	7	8	6	6	6	6	5	4	4	6	5	4	3	4	5	3	3
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	7	9	10	10	10	10	8	7	8	7	6	6	7	6	5	5	5	4	4	4
Sydney Kings	3	4	3	4	3	5	5	5	5	4	3	3	3	4	3	4	2	3	5	5
Tasmania JackJumpers	9	6	7	8	9	7	9	9	9	8	7	5	4	3	6	6	6	7	7	7

Updated to match(es) played on 8 February 2025. Source: NBL.com.au

Seedings

1. Illawarra Hawks
2. Melbourne United
3. Perth Wildcats
4. S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
5. Sydney Kings
6. Adelaide 36ers

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Playoff Bracket

	Play-in / Seeding qualifier					Play-in game					Semifinals							Grand Final
	5	Sydney Kings	88								1	Illawarra Hawks	101	94	126
	6	Adelaide 36ers	95								4	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	94	101	96
						4	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	85										1	Illawarra Hawks	88	102	77	80	114
						6	Adelaide 36ers	75										2	Melbourne United	96	100	83	71	104
	3	Perth Wildcats	122								2	Melbourne United	105	89	113
	4	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	105								3	Perth Wildcats	93	96	112

Play-in tournament

(3) Perth Wildcats vs. (4) S.E. Melbourne Phoenix

ESPN

11 February 2025 18:30

boxscore report

Perth Wildcats	122–105	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Scoring by quarter:29–28, 33–39, 34–23, 26–15
Pts: Pinder 35 Rebs: Pinder 11 Asts: Doolittle 5		Pts: Glover 25 Rebs: Hunter 6 Asts: Sobey 8

Perth HPC, Perth Attendance: 2,975 Referees: Michael Aylen, James Griguol, Ken Widgeon

Regular season series

Perth won 3–1 in the regular season series
20 September 2024 boxscore Perth Wildcats 106, S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 98 Perth Arena, Perth 3 November 2024 boxscore S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 100, Perth Wildcats 76 John Cain Arena, Melbourne 15 November 2024 boxscore Perth Wildcats 97, S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 84 Perth Arena, Perth 31 January 2025 boxscore Perth Wildcats 100, S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 99 Perth Arena, Perth

(5) Sydney Kings vs. (6) Adelaide 36ers

ESPN

13 February 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Sydney Kings	88–95	Adelaide 36ers
Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 19–28, 30–18, 17–26
Pts: Adams 30 Rebs: Oliver 12 Asts: Adams 10		Pts: Vasiljevic 25 Rebs: Harrell 8 Asts: Harrell 7

Sydney SuperDome, Sydney Attendance: 7,321 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes

Regular season series

Adelaide won 3–1 in the regular season series
22 September 2024 boxscore Adelaide 36ers 94, Sydney Kings 102 Perth Arena, Perth 11 October 2024 boxscore Adelaide 36ers 89, Sydney Kings 79 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 30 December 2024 boxscore Sydney Kings 96, Adelaide 36ers 111 Sydney SuperDome, Sydney 24 January 2025 boxscore Sydney Kings 96, Adelaide 36ers 105 Sydney SuperDome, Sydney

(4) S.E. Melbourne Phoenix vs. (6) Adelaide 36ers

ESPN

16 February 2025 14:30

boxscore report

S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	85–75	Adelaide 36ers
Scoring by quarter: 15–16, 11–29, 28–15, 31–15
Pts: Hurt 25 Rebs: Hurt 9 Asts: Foxwell 6		Pts: Davis 26 Rebs: Harrell 14 Asts: Davis 5

John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 6,118 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes

Regular season series

S.E. Melbourne won 2–1 in the regular season series
3 October 2024 boxscore Adelaide 36ers 96, S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 83 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 21 December 2024 boxscore S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 106, Adelaide 36ers 86 John Cain Arena, Melbourne 8 February 2025 boxscore S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 105, Adelaide 36ers 99 John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Semifinals series

(1) Illawarra Hawks vs. (4) S.E. Melbourne Phoenix

ESPN

28 February 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Illawarra Hawks	101–94	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Scoring by quarter:31–27, 23–34, 32–12, 15–21
Pts: Harvey, Kell 24 Rebs: Kell 10 Asts: Hickey 7		Pts: Wieskamp 22 Rebs: Sobey 9 Asts: Walton 11
Illawarra leads series, 1–0

Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Attendance: 5,491 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, James Griguol, Ken Widgeon

ESPN

2 March 2025 14:30

boxscore report

S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	101–94	Illawarra Hawks
Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 27–23, 15–21, 35–26
Pts: Hurt 30 Rebs: Hunter 9 Asts: Glover 5		Pts: Hickey 19 Rebs: Kell 8 Asts: Kell 6
Series tied, 1–1

John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 8,636 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, James Griguol, Ken Widgeon

ESPN

5 March 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Illawarra Hawks	126–96	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Scoring by quarter:37–22, 33–22, 33–20, 23–32
Pts: Kell 30 Rebs: Froling 12 Asts: Hickey 7		Pts: Wieskamp 25 Rebs: Hunter, Sobey 6 Asts: Foxwell 3
Illawarra wins series, 2–1

Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Attendance: 5,203 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, James Griguol, Ken Widgeon

Regular season series

S.E. Melbourne won 2–1 in the regular season series
26 October 2024 boxscore S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 82, Illawarra Hawks 88 John Cain Arena, Melbourne 30 November 2024 boxscore S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 103, Illawarra Hawks 100 John Cain Arena, Melbourne 31 December 2024 boxscore Illawarra Hawks 105, S.E. Melbourne Phoenix 110 Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

(2) Melbourne United vs. (3) Perth Wildcats

ESPN

27 February 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Melbourne United	105–93	Perth Wildcats
Scoring by quarter:23–17, 26–33, 32–21, 24–22
Pts: Goulding 41 Rebs: White 10 Asts: Dellavedova 9		Pts: Pinder 24 Rebs: Pinder 11 Asts: Cotton 6
Melbourne leads series, 1–0

John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 7,473 Referees: Chris Reid, Michael Aylen, Nico Fernandes

ESPN

1 March 2025 17:00

boxscore report

Perth Wildcats	96–89	Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter: 21–36, 20–19, 22–19, 33–15
Pts: Windler 27 Rebs: Doolittle, Windler 11 Asts: Doolittle 6		Pts: Goulding 15 Rebs: Dellavedova 8 Asts: Dellavedova 12
Series tied, 1–1

Perth Arena, Perth Attendance: 12,961 Referees: Chris Reid, Michael Aylen, Nico Fernandes

ESPN

4 March 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Melbourne United	113–112	Perth Wildcats
Scoring by quarter: 26–37, 32–25, 29–22, 26–28
Pts: Clark 38 Rebs: White 9 Asts: Dellavedova 11		Pts: Doolittle 37 Rebs: Doolittle 10 Asts: Cotton 6
Melbourne wins series, 2–1

John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 5,618 Referees: Chris Reid, Michael Aylen, Nico Fernandes

Regular season series

Melbourne won 3–0 in the regular season series
4 October 2024 boxscore Perth Wildcats 68, Melbourne United 97 Perth Arena, Perth 9 November 2024 boxscore Melbourne United 106, Perth Wildcats 97 John Cain Arena, Melbourne 22 January 2025 boxscore Perth Wildcats 93, Melbourne United 99 Perth Arena, Perth

Grand Final series

(1) Illawarra Hawks vs. (2) Melbourne United

ESPN

8 March 2025 20:00

boxscore report

Illawarra Hawks	88–96	Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter:29–26, 24–17, 14–21, 21–32
Pts: Froling 16 Rebs: Froling, Hickey 7 Asts: Hickey 8		Pts: Dellavedova 18 Rebs: Lee 15 Asts:three players 4
Melbourne leads series, 1–0

Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Attendance: 5,491 Referees: Chris Reid, Michael Aylen, Nico Fernandes

ESPN

12 March 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Melbourne United	100–102	Illawarra Hawks
Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 20–22, 22–31, 29–20
Pts: Clark 31 Rebs: Lee, White 6 Asts: Dellavedova, Lee 5		Pts: Harvey 24 Rebs: Kell 8 Asts: Kell 6
Series tied, 1–1

John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 9,135 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Nico Fernandes

10 Bold

16 March 2025 17:30

boxscore report

Illawarra Hawks	77–83	Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter:22–17, 20–24, 25–19, 10–23
Pts: Hickey 12 Rebs: Kell 8 Asts: Kell 3		Pts: White 20 Rebs: Lee 8 Asts: Dellavedova 11
Melbourne leads series, 2–1

Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Attendance: 5,512 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Chris Reid, Michael Aylen

10 Bold

19 March 2025 19:30

boxscore report

Melbourne United	71–80	Illawarra Hawks
Scoring by quarter: 12–15, 20–13, 16–23, 23–29
Pts: Dellavedova, Goulding 17 Rebs: Dellavedova 7 Asts: Dellavedova 6		Pts: Hickey 22 Rebs: Days 11 Asts: Hickey 8
Series tied, 2–2

John Cain Arena, Melbourne Attendance: 10,175 Referees: Vaughan Mayberry, Michael Aylen, Chris Reid,

Network 10

23 March 2025 14:30

boxscore

Illawarra Hawks	vs.	Melbourne United
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –

Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

Regular season series

Illawarra won 2–1 in the regular season series
24 October 2024 boxscore Illawarra Hawks 87, Melbourne United 92 Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong 13 December 2024 boxscore Melbourne United 93, Illawarra Hawks 106 John Cain Arena, Melbourne 18 January 2025 boxscore Illawarra Hawks 117, Melbourne United 95 Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

Media coverage

Television

The league extended its partnership with ESPN Australia. All games are available live on ESPN, Kayo Sports, Network 10 and Fetch TV. ^[9] In New Zealand, ESPN New Zealand will be the official league broadcaster. ^{[10] [11]}

See also

• 2024–25 NBL season
• 2024–25 NBL regular season

References

1. "Pots, procedure confirmed for FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Draw". FIBA. 19 September 2023.
2. "Finals begin February 11". NBL.com.au. 8 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
3. "Finals: What You Need to Know". NBL.com.au. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
4. "New Finals Shake Up". NBL.com.au. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
5. @nbl (21 January 2025). "The @illawarrahawks have clinched their spot in the NBL25 post-season 👀" . Retrieved 21 January 2025– via Instagram.
6. @nbl (26 January 2025). "The @sydneykings and @melbunited have clinched a spot in the post-season following last night's results 🤩" . Retrieved 26 January 2025– via Instagram.
7. @nbl (30 January 2025). "The @perthwildcats and the @semelbphoenix have clinched their spot in the NBL25 post-season 👀" . Retrieved 2 February 2025– via Instagram.
8. @nbl (8 February 2025). "The Adelaide 36ers have clinched a spot in the post-season for the first time since NBL18" . Retrieved 9 February 2025– via Instagram.
9. "NBL strikes new media deal". NBL.com.au. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
10. "New Zealand broadcast details revealed". NBL.com.au. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
11. "NBL and ESPN strike new broadcast agreement". ESPN.com.au. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Official NBL All-Time Stats at NBL Insider
• NBL Historical Stats at SpatialJam.com