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Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings |
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|---|---|---|
2016/17 NBL Season, 5 December 2016 |
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| WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, NSW | ||
| Illawarra Hawks | Sydney Kings | |
| 93 | SCORE | 99 |
| 25 | Q1 | 25 |
| 19 | Q2 | 27 |
| 22 | Q3 | 26 |
| 27 | Q4 | 21 |
The Illawarra Hawks will be looking to continue their impressive run of form and take top spot in the NBL when they host the Sydney Kings who are looking to return to the winner’s circle in the all-New South Wales rivalry. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEDT).
The Hawks have lit up the NBL in the last couple of rounds, rising themselves from the bottom of the table all the way to second place.
Of course, there is nothing in the whole competition but their run of form, with star import and former MVP Rotnei Clarke shooting the lights out has been fantastic.
While they have won three straight to now sit with a record of seven and six, just one game off the pace of the Kings who lead the league, their last two victories have been the best of the lot.
In Round 8, they went to Perth where they haven’t won for over a decade and came away with the win over the struggling club, before they went to New Zealand and put on a shooting clinic in the first half to edge out the Breakers.
Despite their offence, with Clarke averaging 15.46 points per game and being backed up well by the likes of AJ Ogilvy and Marvelle Harris there are still questions over their defence and they must be worked out for this game against the Kings.
Sydney have attacking weapons all over the court and no team will no that better than the Hawks after they were blown out of the water when the clubs faced off in Round 3.
Kevin Lisch and Brad Newley, who both sit in the top five for points per game have been the leading lights for the Kings, but worryingly they have fallen in some games they really should have won on the road and their defence has been prone to concentration lapses.
Essentially, the Kings have proven themselves to be the best club in the league, but their consistency is way off the mark.
They must find more options on offence as well, and that was shown last week when they went down to both Melbourne United and the Adelaide 36ers, losing two straight for the first time this season.
Their offence struggled and had a lot of quiet stretches. For that reason Josh Powell among others must stand up, because if they don’t the Hawks could well run away with the match during one of their inevitable hot streaks.
Nonetheless, the Kings do have the options on the floor and aren’t sitting at the top of the ladder for no reason.
Prediction
The Hawks have caused some dramatic upsets in their last few games, but the Kings have so much attacking prowess and for them to lose three-in-a-row at full strength would be a major shock. I’m not tipping with confidence, but the visitors should hold their spot at the top of the table.
Kings by 2.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores and coverage of this local rivalry match from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde