Wildcats clinch Finals spot

01 Feb 2026

perth wildcats

Five teams are now locked in for the NBL26 Finals after Perth’s win over Illawarra on Saturday.

The Perth Wildcats officially became the fifth side to book their Finals spot on Saturday, by defeating Illawarra by seven points.

The Round 19 victory in Wollongong moves Perth into equal fourth spot, alongside Melbourne United, with an 18-11 record.

John Rillie’s side joins Adelaide, South East Melbourne, Sydney and Melbourne as teams who have locked in their spot in the NBL26 post-season.

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The sixth and final spot will come down to Tasmania (13-17), New Zealand (11-18), Illawarra (10-18), as the competition has just three rounds remaining before Finals tip off.

Cairns is still mathematically in contention, but it would take something of a miracle to close a significant percentage gap on sixth place and have results fall their way, while Brisbane has been eliminated.