DJ delivers much-needed birthday win for Sixers

The focus was on the star guards of the Adelaide 36ers but birthday boy Daniel Johnson led the way as his Sixers beat the Illawarra Hawks 84-72 on Saturday night.

The win wasn’t without a scare for the Sixers though. They did well to lead by 14 at half-time but then memories of what happened against Perth at the NBL Cup came to life when they conceded 17 of the opening second half points to the Hawks.

But this time the 36ers were able to stem the tide and snap their five-game losing streak in some style.

Point guard Josh Giddey returned from injury and NBA import Brandon Paul made his first start but Johnson’s 26 points and 15 rebounds on his 33rd birthday proved pivotal in an 84-72 victory in the team’s first game at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for 47 days.

Giddey flirted with a triple-double yet again with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists while Paul and Jack McVeigh both added 10 points each. Keanu Pinder also delivered his most encouraging performance of the season with 10 points and three offensive rebounds.

Giddey said his side had to lift after the Hawks took the lead in the third term.

"We got together and said ‘this is it, we have to put our foot down now’," Giddey said.

"We executed what we drew up in time outs and got good looks then DJ got going, BP and Jack got going.

"We stamped out that run and were able to dictate what was happening."

Giddey added his side just needed a win.

"A win was all we needed to cut out the losing streak and get momentum going forward," Giddey said.

"This was a big one for us, they were a bit undermanned but we got the win. We did it in ugly style but a W is a W. We needed it."

Golden State Warriors draftee Justinian Jessup led the Hawks with 17 points and three blocks while Emmett Naar had 16 points and Justin Simon 13 points but the absence of Tyler Harvey and Cam Bairstow was tough to cover.

Hawks coach Brian Goorjian said his undermanned side had nothing left after their third-quarter run.

He hopes Tyler Harvey can return next game while Cam Bairstow’s return will be determined once the team comes home to Wollongong.

"I thought the second half we did a good job, there is no doubt these are hard times right now," Goorjian said.

"Everyone has injuries but the combination of our interior target (Bairstow) and our Casper Ware, our Bryce Cotton (Harvey) being out and having this young group was just a big ask.

"I can’t be hard on the guys. I thought we had some effort things in the first half and we can’t afford to lose that area and compete. The second half we did a really good job but four minutes to go in the third quarter, that group was gassed. 

"It’s going to be a tough time until we get those two back but we just have to keep our heads up and keep throwing punches."

The Sixers embraced their home court from the opening as Giddey drove in for a dunk and the Hawks’ offence spluttered.

Adelaide turned a 21-17 quarter time lead into something bigger in the second term as Daniel Johnson took over the contest and the Hawks struggled to find a line-up who could give them any production on offence with import guard Tyler Harvey out injured.

Johnson’s 14 points paced the Sixers who led 46-32 at half time but the Hawks looked a different side to open the third quarter.

They defended aggressively and reaped the rewards going on a 17-3 run which saw them regain the lead within five minutes as Jessup caught fire from outside and made a steal and transition lay-up which Warriors scout Michael Lee would have enjoyed seeing.

Despite a 24-13 third quarter, the Sixers held a 59-56 edge heading into the last term and they soon found their outside shooting as Giddey nailed a corner three and Paul saluted from downtown with that lead growing to 70-61 with just over five minutes to play.

Giddey’s passing helped the Sixers extend their lead and it grew further when Jack McVeigh swished a one-footed three with four minutes to play to take the lead to 16 points and cap-off the win.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 12

ADELAIDE 36ERS 84 (Johnson 26, Giddey 13, Pinder 10, McVeigh 10, Paul 10)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 72 (Jessup 17, Naar 16, Simon 13) 

BOX SCORE