NBL26 Round 6

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Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks NBL26 Round 6 Tips - Hawks pressure the Wildcats at home

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Thu 23 Oct 2025 17:03

Jeremy Darke 23 Oct 2025

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Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks expert predictions for Saturday’s Round 6 NBL matchup
Tip-off is at 8:00 PM AEDT at RAC Arena
Illawarra Hawks get a 6.5-point start; hopes are high for a rebound.
Kristian Doolittle expected to lead Perth with 15+ points and 7+ rebounds.

Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks NBL25 Round 6 Expert Tips

Illawarra hit rock bottom after a huge loss to South East Melbourne in Round 5, but getting a 6.5 point start against the Wildcats, who have their own issues is too much to pass up.

Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks NBL25 Round 6 Expert Tips
Head to Head
Perth Wildcats Form & Team News
Illawarra Hawks Form & Team News
Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks Frequently Asked Questions

Both of these two teams have not found their rhythm this season and I am not sold on the Wildcats being a good team sitting in fourth, only beating the bottom 3 sides (including the Hawks), and having what the media called a “redemption performance” against Cairns on Wednesday.

Perth are on the short turnaround from the Ignite Cup match in Cairns, while the Hawks last game was a week ago come Saturday. Having time to have a good hard look at themselves and coming into this game fresh accounts for something this could be the moment where we see a different Illawarra team come out and at least keep this one close.

The battle of the big boys was a highlight when these two faced each other 3 weeks ago so that is where the props will lie here once again. Kristian Doolittle will need to be a monster for Perth and will need to step up physically against JaVale McGee and fight for boards without Dylan Windler in the lineup. Take Dolittle for a combined 7+ rebounds and 15+ points in a same game multi for double your money odds.

If Illawarra are going to snatch this one they need a big one from Tyler Harvey. Their leader is averaging 19.2 points per game and was kept quiet against the Phoenix with just 14 points. I’m backing the 32-year-old to keep pushing the Hawks forward with a 20+ point performance.

Illawarra have won 5 of their last 7 games against Perth.
Perth are 1-2 at home to start the year.
Kristian Doolittle has scored 15+ points in 4 of his last 6 games
Tyler Harvey averages 19.2 points per game this season

Head to Head

Last 5 Matches

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
02/10/2025	PER	PER 92-84	PER -5.0	U 182.0
22/12/2024	ILL	ILL 120-88	ILL -6.0	O 205.0
06/12/2024	PER	ILL 121-111	ILL +2.0	O 192.5
01/11/2024	PER	PER 113-105	PER +2.5	O 180.5
15/02/2024	ILL	ILL 108-92	ILL -2.0	O 187.0

Offensive & Defensive Rankings

PER Off	Rank	Stat	Rank	ILL Def
83	8	PPG	10	101
42.2	7	RPG	4	41
42.0%	8	FG%	7	44.9%
25.3%	10	3P%	9	34.9%
13.2	7	TOV	4	12

PER Def	Rank	Stat	Rank	ILL Off
86.3	6	PPG	5	90
45	8	RPG	5	43
42.3%	1	FG%	4	46.4%
32.2%	7	3P%	4	32.0%
11	7	TOV	10	16.6

Perth Wildcats Form & Team News

Perth’s record is luring, they are fourth on the ladder at 4-3 but the question rises, who have they beat. The answer, the bottom three teams in the comp, one of them twice.

It was a solid performance against Cairns in the Ignite Cup, boosting their in-season tournament chances by winning all four quarters, but this wasn’t a rebound game for the Wildcats, who lost heavily to Sydney and Brisbane in Round 5. Cairns are awful, they beat a wooden spoon team.

Look, Perth will have their moments and they are better than the three teams that they beat, but they are not a contender. They do not have the consistent star power in their lineupå, besides Jo Lual-Acuil , who is worth 21 points, 7 rebounds and a couple of blocks per game.

Dylan Windler has had his moments, but only in the three wins that Perth had, when he was comfortably averaging a double-double. But, Windler is injured again, like he was last season and his consistency or lack there off hurts the Cats who need another superstar.

Illawarra Hawks Form & Team News

When will the Hawks get out of their slump and return to their championship calibre?

I’m not sure they have it in them, well not anytime soon. Illawarra have started the year 1-4 and were clobbered by South East Melbourne last weekend, going down by 40 and the game over by the half.

The Hawks offence is decent, ranked fourth in points with an average of 90.0 per game, but their defence is not up to scratch giving up 100 per game, the worst in the NBL. Tyler Harvey and star import JaVale McGee are doing all the work with the ball, but as a unit the Illawarra are not humming.

They are waiting for the return of Davo Hickey, but I don’t see him fixing all the problems they have on defence. Tatum needs to tighten the screws and find a shade of the defence that won them the championship last season and put some pressure on opposition shooters.

Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks start?

Tip-off between Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks is at 8:00 PM AEDT, Saturday, October 25

What channel is Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks on?

You can watch Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.

Verdict

Perth Wildcats v Illawarra Hawks

Illawarra will cover with a 6.5-point start as the underdog. Kristian Doolittle with have a big game for Perth scoring 15+ points and 7+ rebounds, while Tyler Harvey will be the game changer for the Hawks with 20+ points.

Illawarra +6.5

Handicap/Line

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