36ers aim for bounce back against Hawks

Adelaide 36ers will be looking to rebound from consecutive losses when it travels to Wollongong to face Illawarra Hawks on Thursday night at WIN Entertainment Centre.

Both sides go into the Round 6 clash desperate for success, the Hawks having lost their past six matches, including a double overtime thriller 106-100 to Melbourne United last week on their home court.

The 36ers too are coming off an overtime thriller, falling short 103-98 to South East Melbourne Phoenix at John Cain Arena last Sunday afternoon after fighting back from a 16-point deficit in the first half.

Illawarra are a much better side than their 1-7 record says, but Adelaide will go into the match with confidence after their final quarter avalanche was too strong for the Hawks in a 90-80 triumph on Brett Maher Court in Round 3.

THE KEY
Illawarra have a dynamic duo in star guard Tyler Harvey and Boomers big man Sam Froling, the perfect one-two punch for head coach Jakob Jackomas.

Harvey, who is averaging 13.3 points per game so far in NBL23, had 21 points and swished five three-pointers against United as he looked like the player that was in the MVP conversation at times last season.

Froling will be a big worry for the 36ers coaching staff with his rebounding ability and the offensive threat and he looms large and he will be an important match-up for Daniel Johnson and Kai Sotto.

The 213cm forward/centre, who has been averaging 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per outing, had a break out game against United last round with 27 points and 15 rebounds as he nearly singlehandedly got the Hawks across the line.

THE SECRET
It’s no secret now, but the Hawks have replaced injured import point guard Justin Robinson with former New Zealand Breaker Peyton Siva.

Siva looks as the perfect backcourt partner for Harvey and is ready to fire after two games with his new squad.

The 183cm point guard had a game-high 11 assists last week against Melbourne United to go with 14 points and Siva has the ability to get into the paint to creating scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Siva has confidently claimed he is one of the best point guards in the basketball world after signing with Illawarra.

“If I can stay healthy, I feel like I’m one of the best point guards, not only in NBL, but basketball period,” Siva said.

Siva knows he can help turn the Hawks’ season around, on one condition – he stays healthy.

“What I’ve struggled with my whole career is just staying healthy,” he said.

“My goal by the end of this year is that I’ve showed that I’m a much better player than I was last year.”

Siva suffered a hamstring injury which saw him only play in 23 games for the Breakers in NBL22 and has come to the Hawks to prove his improvement from last year.

“I have a lot that I can do, I have a lot more to prove in what I showed last year,” he said.

THE FINAL WORD
Adelaide will have to be switched on from the opening tip and can’t afford to get behind early again on the road, as it takes a lot of energy to get back into games away from home.

The Hawks should be confident despite their recent struggles and their performance against Melbourne United last round proves they’re a dangerous commodity.

The 36ers need to improve in two key areas, offensive rebounding and turnovers. Adelaide has given the ball up too easily, especially in last round two defeats to New Zealand and the Phoenix, while handing opposition sides extra possessions is making Adelaide work extra hard on defense.

Expect both sides to come out breathing fire and the 36ers will be expecting some tough, full court defensive pressure from the Hawks, while Adelaide will look to explore the break to create easy open looks at the basket.

Adelaide improved their performance considerably against the Phoenix and the expectation is for this form to continue to project in the right direction.

DEPTH CHART
PG Siva | Murdonja
SG Harvey | Dent | Hickey
SF Swaka Lo Buluk | King | Coenraad
PF Deng | Gak
C Froling | Mathiang