South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Illawarra Hawks predictions, Jan 08, 2026

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In an exciting Australian NBL match-up on January 8, 2026, the South East Melbourne Phoenix will face off against the Illawarra Hawks at home. The Phoenix have been in impressive form recently, winning four out of their last five matches and showcasing their dominance on the court. On the other hand, the Illawarra Hawks have had a more inconsistent run, only managing to secure two wins in their last five games.

Bookmakers have placed South East Melbourne Phoenix as the favorites to win with odds of 1.4, while the Illawarra Hawks are the underdogs with odds of 2.75. Our model prediction also leans towards the home team, giving them a 68.3% chance of securing the victory. However, in basketball, anything can happen on the day, and the Illawarra Hawks will surely be looking to upset the odds and come away with a win. With both teams having their tactical strengths and weaknesses, this match promises to be a closely fought contest that could go either way. It will be a thrilling showdown between two competitive teams vying for victory on the court.

This preview is generated with the Welcome.Bet AI Insights Engine, combining form data, betting odds, and semantic SEO optimization to deliver relevant match analysis for fans and bettors alike from 2026-01-05T23:52:02+00:00.

South East Melbourne 65.8%

Illawarra 34.2%

Prediction (the most likely score): 97:91

Outrights of Australian NBL South East Melbourne: 11.3% Illawarra Hawks: 4.3%

Watch and Bet South East Melbourne – Illawarra available at: Bet Now (Full Screen)

Betting Odds

	1	X	2
	1.36		2.81	Watch and Bet
	1.44		2.63
	1.4		2.63
	1.45		2.8

Latest Results

05.01.26 Sydney Kings – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 117:124 31.12.25 Cairns Taipans – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 96:111 29.12.25 Tasmania JackJumpers – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 87:84 20.12.25 South East Melbourne Phoenix – Brisbane Bullets – 107:78 18.12.25 Perth Wildcats – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 76:77

03.01.26 Illawarra Hawks – Cairns Taipans – 96:78 31.12.25 Illawarra Hawks – Tasmania JackJumpers – 92:90 25.12.25 Sydney Kings – Illawarra Hawks – 108:84 20.12.25 Illawarra Hawks – Adelaide 36ers – 78:84 18.12.25 Melbourne United – Illawarra Hawks – 97:75

Facts

This match features a clash between the league leader and a mid-table team (ranked 2 in the zone Promotion ~ NBL (Play Offs: Semi~finals) and 7).

In the last 5 head-to-head matches, South East Melbourne won 2.

South East Melbourne is currently in amazing form (last 5 games: 4 wins).

In recent matches, Illawarra has shown inconsistent performance (in the last 5 games, wins – 2).

Illawarra may have a physical advantage due to more rest days in recent times.

Recently, South East Melbourne has had a series of away games.

South East Melbourne is expected to have a slight advantage in this match.

We predict that South East Melbourne will win today’s game, with odds of 1.41.

In the last 20 head-to-head matches, South East Melbourne won 8 matches, drew 0 matches, lost 12 matches, and goals 1892:1897. (average 94.6:94.9).

Including home matches between the teams, South East Melbourne won 5 matches, drew 0 matches, lost 4 matches, and goals 867:803. (average 96.3:89.2).

Latest Head To Head

04.12.25 Illawarra Hawks – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 113:109 OT 18.10.25 South East Melbourne Phoenix – Illawarra Hawks – 116:76 05.03.25 Illawarra Hawks – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 126:96 01.03.25 South East Melbourne Phoenix – Illawarra Hawks – 101:94 28.02.25 Illawarra Hawks – South East Melbourne Phoenix – 101:94

Standings

2025/26

		Pl	W	L		PCT
1	Adelaide	23	19	4	2132:1964	0.826
2	South East Melbourne	22	15	7	2151:1971	0.682
3	Melbourne United	23	15	8	2158:2039	0.652
4	Sydney	22	13	9	2089:1909	0.591
5	Perth	23	13	10	2049:1986	0.565
6	Tasmania JackJumpers	24	11	13	2059:2049	0.458
7	Illawarra Hawks	21	8	13	1869:2008	0.381
8	New Zealand Breakers	22	8	14	1950:1967	0.364
9	Brisbane Bullets	24	6	18	2038:2289	0.250
10	Cairns Taipans	22	5	17	1805:2118	0.227

Australian NBL Outrights

1. Adelaide 36ers: 2.4 (33.15%)

2. Melbourne United: 2.63 (30.25%)

3. South East Melbourne: 7.04 (11.3%)

4. Sydney Kings: 9.35 (8.51%)

5. Perth Wildcats: 11.2 (7.1%)

6. Illawarra Hawks: 18.5 (4.3%)

7. New Zealand Breakers: 32 (2.49%)

8. Tasmania JackJumpers: 65 (1.22%)

9. Brisbane Bullets: 90 (0.88%)

10. Cairns Taipans: 100 (0.8%)

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