ROUND 6 PREVIEW – KINGS VS HAWKS

That’s the way to bounce back.

Get a victory that brings hope and joy for the home fans.

Send a message that a couple of losses are nothing but a speed bump in a long season.

That’s what the Sydney Kings did last Saturday night against the Perth Wildcats.

The team had hit some early adversity with back-to-back defeats to Adelaide and New Zealand and needed to get right at home against a fellow championship aspirant.

And boy, did they ever.

Led by the city’s latest cult hero Will Johnston, whose energy was off the charts, and an unassuming superstar import in Torrey Craig who is nigh on unstoppable, the purple and gold got back to their winning ways in emphatic fashion.

But that was then.

Round 6 presents a whole new set of challenges, starting with what is always an epic matchup against intrastate rivals the Illawarra Hawks this Thursday night at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong.

Of course, Sydney has already faced Illawarra this season in Round 2, blowing out the Hawks 121-100 at Afterpay Arena and dropping a season-high in points in a game where the 21-point margin flattered the visitors.

However, as dominant as a display as that was, things won’t be so easy on Thursday, givenwhat awaits the purple and gold – a veritable hornets’ nest.

As has been said many times – these are the games Illawarra and their army of Hawkheads hunger for. Beating the Sydney Kings for them almost ranks as highly as winning an NBL championship.

And while their last place 2-6 record and statistics that show them as clearly the worst defensive team in the league – currently giving up a whopping 105.6 points per game – makes the Hawks a large underdog in this game, even in their home venue, their most recent performance suggests they will be no pushover at the Sandpit.

Illawarra is coming off one of the upsets of the season over the hyped Melbourne United on the road, a 91-88 shocker that belied their poor start to NBL27.

The Hawks brought pride to the jumper, energy that had been lacking for most of their opening seven games of the season, and most importantly played the kind of defence required to be competitive in the National Basketball League.

If that is a pointer to what the Kings can expect this Thursday, especially given that despite their issues this season, Illawarra can still freely score the basketball – they rank only behind Sydney in that department in NBL27 – then Head Coach Brian Goorjian’s men will be up against it in what will be a hostile arena, to say the least.

And for all their problems, the Hawks still boast a formidable squad, with no less than six players averaging double-figure scoring, led by former NBA player Kelan Martin (16.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 46.4% FG, 40.5% 3PT FG, 89.3% FT), who has been moved to a sixth man role by Illawarra coach Justin Tatum and is a deadly perimeter weapon coming off the bench.

Guards Milton Doyle (12.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 5.8apg, 1.4spg, 38.3% FG, 25.5% 3PT FG, 87.5%), William ‘Davo’ Hickey (12.5ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.5apg, 50.6% FG, 30.0% 3PT FG, 62.5% FT) and Tyler Harvey (11.1ppg, 3.3apg) are a dangerous backcourt troika.

Up front, the Hawks have been bolstered by the recent addition of former Sydney Kings championship winner Makur Maker (14.5ppg, 5.8rpg, 66.7% FG, 45.5% 3PT FG, 71.4% FT) who is coming off an excellent game against Melbourne, while the length and mobility of Sam Froling (13.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 62.2% FG, 55.6% FT) must always be respected and another ex-King Wani Swaka Lo Buluk is one of the best defensive players in the competition.

But Sydney also possess a squad to be feared, and they will head to the Sandpit full of confidence after their morale-boosting victory over the Wildcats.

The team currently leads the league in scoring at 101.0 points per game and they also top the NBL in field goal percentage (50.3%) and offensive rating (125.0).

And they are making their mark defensively, conceding the second-fewest points per game (89.2ppg) with a defensive rating of 110.4 (second best in the league).

There is of course plenty to improve upon and a ton of upside. For example, Brian Goorjian wants his troops to play at extreme pace more often – he knows they are tougher to deal with when opposing clubs have to constantly worry about getting back in transition.

Backup guard Will Johnston epitomised that against Perth with his incredible energy, speed and constant pressure on the Wildcat defence. Expect Will to be set loose against a Hawks team that has struggled to get consistent stops this season.

Then there’s Torrey Craig (17.0ppg, 6.3rpg, 49.4% FG, 34.1% 3PT FG, 66.7% FT), whose size, underrated speed and ability to fill it up from anywhere on the floor make him a difficult cover at the best of times.

Plus Makuach Maluach (15.8ppg, 3.7rpg, 74.0% FG, 62.5% 3PT FG, 75.0% FT) is shooting the ball at absurd percentages right now and he’ll be looking to feast on the shaky Hawks D.

Of course, Illawarra hasn’t had a counter to the incredible Kendric Davis (22.8ppg, 4.7rpg, 7.5apg, 1.2spg, 41.7% FG, 23.3% 3PT FG, 75.0% FT) who has done whatever he wants against Illawarra and team captain Xavier Cooks (13.8ppg, 6.2rpg, 2.5apg, 1.0spg, 1.7bpg, 64.7% FG, 64.0% FT) always has something special for his hometown team.

However, forget the ladder positions.

Forget form.

Throw it all out the window when it comes to Kings vs Hawks.

This will be war.

Let’s go Sydney.

WHO

Sydney Kings vs. Illawarra Hawks

WHEN

Thursday 22 October, 7:30pm AEST tipoff

LOCATION

WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

TICKETS

On sale via Ticketmaster

THE PLAYERS

KINGS

Projected Starters: Kendric Davis, Makuach Maluach, Torrey Craig, Xavier Cooks, Andrew Carr

Bench: Tyler Robertson, Jason Spurgin, Harry Wessels, Jayden Stone, Will Johnston,Lachlan Bofinger, Peitok Machar, Bailey Hanson

HAWKS

Projected Starters: Tyler Harvey, Milton Doyle, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Lamar Patterson,Sam Froling

Bench: Kelan Martin, William ‘Davo’ Hickey, Makur Maker, Dan Grida, Kyle Adnam, Johny Narkle, Amarco Doyle, Fletcher Macdonald, Brodie McGregor

THE COACHES

KINGS

Brian Goorjian (9^th season with Kings, record with Kings 214-88, NBL career record 601-277, 7 NBL championships)

HAWKS

Justin Tatum (4^th season with Hawks, NBL career record 54-48, one NBL championship)

NBL27 REGULAR SEASON

Kings lead 1-0

NBL27 STANDINGS

Kings 4-2, second

Hawks 2-6, tenth

KEY MATCHUP

Xavier Cooks vs Makur Maker

These two were teammates on the Kings’ NBL22 championship-winning squad and now face off in what will be an intriguing battle. Maker was a savvy late pickup for a Hawks team that was desperate for size up front given the season-ending injury to Mason Peatling and he has already shown he has the kind of talent and athleticism that can give what has been a moribund team a real shot in the arm. Cooks has been his typical self this season – an inspirational leader who sees what his team needs on any given night and acts accordingly. He’s a rare superstar who excels at both ends of the floor and is a nightmare to defend, especially when he decides to attack downhill with that exceptional length and mobility. He’ll go after Maker early and often in an effort to get him in foul trouble and negate his influence.

THE QUESTIONS

How will the Kings newbies respond to what will be a hostile environment?

Will Makuach Maluach continue his torrid shooting from the outside?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

125 games played; Kings lead 70-55

In Wollongong

60 games played; Kings lead 33-27

At WIN Entertainment Centre

48 games played; Kings lead 27-21

DID YOU KNOW?

Sydney’s biggest ever win over Illawarra came at the WIN Entertainment Centre on 7 November, 2014 – an 82-53 thrashing in Round 5 of the 2014/2015 season. In fact, the Kings have found a great deal of success on the Sandpit floor over the years – two of their largest wins ever over the Hawks came at the venue just last season, and long-time fans of the purple and gold will never forget the pain and suffering Sydney inflicted on the home team in Game 2 of the 2005 Grand Final Series, when the Kings obliterated the Hawks 105-80 in Wollongong – to this day one of the most dominant playoff performances in Sydney Kings franchise history.

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