36ers look to rebound against Hawks

Adelaide don’t have much time to clear their heads of Thursday’s 97-72 home opening loss to Tasmania when Illawarra Hawks arrive at Brett Maher Court on Saturday.

The 36ers, stunned from an opening quarter avalanche from a Josh Magette-led JackJumpers, will be keen to bounce back and face a desperate Hawks side who currently have a 1-2 win-loss record.

Illawarra’s record could be better after the Hawks led the Wildcats by five points at three-quarter time last round in Perth before succumbing 77-71.

Adelaide will be wary of a fresh Hawks side coming to the Entertainment Centre and will need to have a fresh focus going into Saturday night’s game.

THE KEY

After losing star import Justin Robinson for the season due to a knee injury, Illawarra’s star guard Tyler Harvey has the keys to the Hawks’ success.

Harvey, who is averaging 20 points per game so far in NBL23, looms large for the Hawks and the 36ers will need to make sure he doesn’t get his shot going early.

Adelaide coach CJ Bruton will not want another left-handed sharp shooter to get going like JackJumpers’ Magette did on Thursday night, and quelling Harvey’s influence will go a long way to Adelaide opening their NBL23 account.

Hawks’ big man Mangok Mathiang is easing his back into professional basketball after a sickening broken leg and is gaining momentum into NBL23.

The former Charlotte Hornets centre proved to be a handful for the 36ers during Adelaide’s win at the NBL Blitz in Darwin last month and he should go into Saturday night’s game full of confidence.

THE SECRET

The rapid rise of guard Lachlan Dent has been one of the success stories of the NBL23 season so far.

Dent has stepped up in the absence of Robinson and into the Hawks’ opening quintet, averaging 13.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per contest.

A hard-working guard, Dent will be in the thick of the action at both ends of the floor and expect him to get the first assignment on Craig Randall II.

Import forward George King has also slowly found his form in NBL23 and had his breakout game against the Wildcats, scoring 25 points including five three-pointers.

The 201cm swingman has found his niche coming off the bench, but don’t be surprised if we see King in the starting line-up come Saturday night.

THE FINAL WORD

Adelaide will have the confidence of not just the home fans, but the entire competition will be hunting them from the moment they run out onto Brett Maher Court on Thursday night.

Everyone will expect the 36ers to show the form that was good enough to beat the Phoenix Suns, the team with the best record in the NBA last year, earlier this month.

From hoping for an Adelaide win, fans will now expect success and with the “championship or bust” narrative being prominent this pre-season, the opening fixture is a must watch.

How the 36ers adjust to this expectation will be an interesting watch and with Thursday night’s game the first for this roster in front of their home fans, fireworks are anticipated.

DEPTH CHART

PG Harvey I Murdonja

SG Dent I White I Hickey

SF Swaka Lo Buluk I King I Coenraad

PF Deng I Gak

C Froling I Mathiang