# 2025 NBL Finals

The 2025 NBL Finals is 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.

## 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.
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.

## Qualification
### Qualified teams

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

### Ladder

| Pos | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte | 2024–25 NBL season vte |
| Pos | 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 |

### Seedings

* Illawarra Hawks
* Melbourne United
* Perth Wildcats
* S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
* Sydney Kings
* 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 / Seeding qualifier | Play-in / Seeding qualifier | Play-in game | Play-in game | Play-in game | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | 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 |
| | | | 6 | Adelaide 36ers | 75 | | | | | | 2 | Melbourne United | 96 | 100 | 83 |
| 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
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
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
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 | 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 | 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 | 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
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 | 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 | 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 | 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
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 | 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 | 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 | 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
* ESPN
* 19 March 2025 19:30
* boxscore
| Melbourne United | vs. | Illawarra Hawks |
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – |||
* John Cain Arena, Melbourne
* Network 10
* 23 March 2025 14:30
* boxscore
| Illawarra Hawks | vs. | Melbourne United |
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – |||
| if necessary |||
* Wollongong Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
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. In New Zealand, ESPN New Zealand will be the official league broadcaster.