Team effort key for 36ers against Hawks

Adelaide 36ers captain DJ Vasiljevic says his side must rebound and shut down the most potnet team in the league on Sunday against Illawarra Hawks.

Illawarra currently average 98.6 points per game so far across NBL25, clearly the best in the competition and Vasiljevic said the Hawks have big names across the court.

“I think they are a really good basketball team, as a team,” Vasiljevic said on Friday when the club launched Defence Force Appreciation Round.

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“There are teams in this league where you look at a Bryce Cotton at Perth, Milton Doyle at Tassie, where at Illawarra, everyone plays well.

“That’s why they are the number one offensive team in the league right now.”

“It’s all about knowing the Trey Kell's, the Tyler Harvey's, Sam Froling has been playing really well and you got guys off the bench like Davo Hickey and Todd Blanchfield, it’s a collective unit for them.”

Adelaide will be looking to respond after last round’s loss to New Zealand Breakers in Auckland and Vasiljevic said his side will implement some new ideas this weekend.

“When things aren’t going our way, to run a longer offensive set, or lock into the personnel more, so it’s not to shoot ourselves in the foot and make it get any worse,” Vasiljevic said.

“We got to eliminate that, we got to start 10-0 or something like that, going into Illawarra this week.

“We need to find our own energy, we played Sunday, Saturday, Sunday. We got to have the right energy come game days.”  

ADELAIDE 36ERS vs ILLAWARRA HAWKS
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, 4pm ACDT
Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports & 10BOLD

OVERALL
Played 136, Adelaide 79, Illawarra 57 

LIKELY STARTERS
36ers: Kendric Davis, DJ Vasiljevic, Sunday Dech, Montrezl Harrell, Isaac Humphries
Hawks: Trey Kell, Tyler Harvey, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Darius Days, Sam Froling

 LAST FIVE MATCHES
Oct 5, 2024 – 36ers 102 def Hawks 100 at WIN Entertainment Centre
Jan 20, 2024 – 36ers 96 def Hawks 89 at WIN Entertainment Centre
Dec 31, 2023 – Hawks 91 def 36ers 84 at WIN Entertainment Centre
Oct 14, 2023 – 36ers 89 def Hawks 80 at AEC
Jan 6, 2023 - 36ers 103 def Hawks 95 at AEC 

STATS THAT MATTER
- Adelaide has won its past 10 games when allowing fewer than 90 points.
- The 36ers have won the past nine games at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
- Adelaide has won the fourth quarter in its past eight home games against Illawarra.
- The 36ers have won its past three games at home after trailing at half-time.
- Adelaide has won six of its past seven games against Illawarra.
- Montrezl Harrell has scored 22+ points in each of Adelaide's last three games.
- In NBL25, 19.1% of Adelaide's scoring has come from the free-throw line - highest in the league.
- The 36ers rank 1st in the NBL for three-point percentage this season (37.8%).