Rivalry fire burns ahead of Hawks/Kings clash

History will mean little to the Sydney Kings when they look to break a six-game losing streak against the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday.

The Kings are on the rise after three straight wins, but so is Illawarra. The reigning champions are flying high after back-to-back victories, with the lethal combination of JaVale McGee and Will Hickey proving almost unstoppable.

>> HAWKS V KINGS: SUNDAY, 2.30PM AEDT, ESPN & 10

It makes for a huge matchup on Sunday afternoon in Wollongong.

“They have definitely got the bragging rights for last season; they swept us last year, but we are coming into this game with a lot of hunger,” Kings star Xavier Cooks said on Thursday.

“It is a new group and a new year. The past record does not really matter. It is a new year and a new team for us.”

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Cooks says taking a win away in enemy territory would be massive for the team’s confidence and hold extra meaning against the Hawks.

“I think the rivalry word gets thrown around a little bit too much in the NBL. However, the Sydney-Wollongong rivalry has been ongoing for several years,” he said.

“It is going to be a good environment. There is going to be a lot of emotion in the building, and it is going to be a lot of fun.”

But it will be a tall order, a huge order in fact, against the in form McGee and an Illawarra team growing in confidence with every game.

“It is going to be interesting. JaVale is a handful. He has been dominating the last couple of weeks, and he is going to be a handful to guard for our team,” Cooks said.

“He is a big body, so we will probably try to avoid the key as much as possible. But the main thing is pace. If we get stuck in a half court game against him, it is going to be a tough battle. If we can really use our pace and make it a five on four contest to get an advantage that way, it might help us out.”

For McGee and Illawarra, it's an opportunity to strengthen their move into the top six.

“It is a huge game for us. We have won two in a row and we would love to make it three in a row,” the three-time NBA champion said.

McGee is firmly in the mix for league MVP honours, averaging 23.1 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. He has scored 65 points in his last two outings alone.

Hawks coach Justin Tatum said the Hawks held no fear coming up against Sydney, a team he has not dropped a game to since taking over the job in 2023.

“We are the top dogs on this highway, so we are not really fearing them,” he told The Illawarra Mercury.

“We are making sure we change the narrative every time we can.”

Despite a two and six start to the season, the championship winning coach always believed his team would turn things around.

“We were hurt. We had a lot of guys out and we had an inconsistent roster, so I was not feeling pressure on that,” he said.

“If I had everybody and was two and six, then I would have felt some pressure, but I knew we were going to come out on the better side of it sooner or later.

“Last year we were the hunted. Now we are hunting guys, and it is kind of fun on this end.”

Illawarra hosts Sydney on Sunday at the WIN Entertainment Centre from 2.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 10.

Read the full story here >> NBA champ McGee looms large as Kings aim to end Hawks' rivalry streak