Melbourne United have escaped with a dramatic 105-102 NBL win over Illawarra after Hawks big man JaVale McGee's prayer from beyond half-court swished through a split-second after the time expired.
McGee, who was dominant inside with 28 points and 11 rebounds, at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday night, celebrated wildly with his teammates, before his incredible heave was waived on video review.
Captain Chris Goulding scored 23 points for United, including 5-of-8 three-pointers, and import Milton Doyle added 19.
QJ Peterson poured in 20 of his 22 points after halftime for Illawarra, while Will Hickey paired 18 points with 12 boards.
A seesawing fourth quarter finished in pulsating fashion, Hickey's tip-in giving the Hawks a 102-101 buffer with 29 seconds remaining, before Finn Delany buried a corner triple with 17.5 seconds on the clock to restore Melbourne's lead, 104-102.
Tyler Harvey's late three-point attempt rattled out, McGee couldn't quite tip it in, and United centre Jesse Edwards snared the rebound before being fouled.
He hit one of two at the stripe, setting the stage for McGee's near-miracle.
"I knew it was pretty close to the siren," United coach Dean Vickerman said.
"But I'm pretty pleased to be sitting here not going into overtime right now."
Melbourne led 38-33 at the end of a frenetic, fast-paced opening term before being shut down to start the second.
United managed just one score in the first five minutes of the quarter as Illawarra edged ahead 43-40.
Goulding sparked Melbourne out of their malaise, draining three successive threes in the space of 75 seconds, ripping control back the way of the visitors, who led 58-52 at halftime.
McGee and Harvey combined to trim the margin to 86-83 at the final change, before Peterson lit up the fourth with sublime shot-making as the Hawks came within milliseconds of forcing overtime against the ladder leaders.
"How do I describe my feelings and emotions? Disturbing, frustrated," Illawarra coach Justin Tatum said after the reigning champions crashed to 4-9 with their third successive loss.
"We gave seven offensive boards in the fourth quarter - it's pretty tough to win games like that."
