Preview: Illawarra vs Adelaide - Round 13, NBL24

Friday, December 29, 2023

The Hawks are flying after their Christmas Day win, but will a clash with Adelaide bring them back down to earth?

Sunday, December 31 at 5:30pm AEDT | WIN Entertainment Centre

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Illawarra’s Christmas Day win over Sydney was its first win over the Kings since the final round of the NBL22 season. The win has moved the Hawks two games ahead of bottom-placed Adelaide on the ladder.

Tyler Harvey praised the conduct of Justin Tatum in the victory, following the Hawks falling to an 18-point deficit in the first half.

Scott Ninnis declared Adelaide’s loss to Perth as a “one-sided, lop-sided affair”, and has called on the 36ers to no longer accept mediocrity.

Adelaide connected with fewer than half its attempted free throws against the Wildcats, and Ninnis said he can’t remember a side having such a poor shooting night from the line.

Illawarra
94-90 win over Sydney
89-100 loss to Tasmania
100-72 win over South East Melbourne

Adelaide
82-100 loss to Perth
95-88 win over Brisbane
86-107 loss to Melbourne

Lachlan Olbrich
Did we witness a career-defining breakout game from Lachlan Olbrich on Christmas Day? Nine points and ten rebounds may not dramatically jump off the page, but anyone who watched that game knows the rookie big was the crucial point of difference in Illawarra’s win over its local rivals.

Half of Olbrich’s boards came on the offensive end, and his rebound with less than a minute left gave the Hawks an extra possession that resulted in a Gary Clark bucket to lead by two.

Olbrich found himself on draft boards early in the NBL24 campaign, but has since struggled to impact games as much as he did at the pre-season Blitz. A massive performance on the biggest stage against the Hawks' biggest rivals could be just the spark he needs to start progressing himself to the next stage.

The matchup challenges don’t get any easier against the 36ers, but if he can maintain that level of offensive rebounding, he’ll likely prove to be a crucial part of any Play-In push for the Hawks.

“Lachlan Olbrich was our MVP tonight ... he’s the reason we started to spark. Gary (Clark) and Sam (Froling) didn’t have it going early, the ball was rattling in and out but he came in and gave us some energy and life.” – Justin Tatum following the win over Sydney.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not enough said about <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBL</a> rookie Lachlan Olbrich's performance in the win over <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a>. His physicality was exceptional, relentless on the boards, in transition and his energy plays in the 4th (and throughout), and his +14 were instrumental for the Hawks. <a href="https://t.co/iCpOv6by5C">pic.twitter.com/iCpOv6by5C</a></p>— Simon Mitchell (@SMitch_72) <a href="https://twitter.com/SMitch_72/status/1739629568380788949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Isaac Humphries
Adelaide’s 18-point deficit in its loss to Perth didn’t tell the full story of the game. Even Scott Ninnis said it himself. One player who could emerge from the defeat with his head held high though was Isaac Humphries.

Humphries was one of just two players to register double-digit scoring for the 36ers in the defeat, and he made 11 of his 15 shots, en route to 24 points.

He was also one of just two Adelaide players to shoot more than 60 per cent from the free throw line, in what was a dour 12-25 night from the charity stripe for the NBL’s bottom side.

How Humphries was utilised in CJ Bruton’s offence was one of the biggest questions against the former head coach’s game plan, but Scott Ninnis’ high-paced brand of basketball has allowed Humphries to become Adelaide’s go-to offensive option if an immediate scoring opportunity in transition doesn’t present itself.

Adelaide may be faltering this season, but after an NBL23 with Melbourne where he stayed largely fit, Humphries is hammering home why he is one of the best local bigs in the NBL.

“When our team went through all our shifting I think I took it upon myself to control what I could control and that is how I play. Scott has made an emphasis of playing inside and using me a lot more and that’s definitely contributed to the way I’ve been playing, but I really just want to come in and do the best I can for the team.” – Isaac Humphries following the loss to Perth.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big Ice, that's cold. Isaac Humphries gets the and-one with a tidy spin ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/waaObTX98L">pic.twitter.com/waaObTX98L</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1733417043884396824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tyler Harvey vs DJ Vasiljevic
Both game-winning sharpshooters are coming off solid, if unspectacular performances in their last games.

That may sound counter-intuitive given Harvey was named Foot Locker Player of the Game in the Christmas Day win over Sydney, but that just spoke volumes about the team nature of the victory – he was crucial to the crazy win, but his personal 5-19 shooting performance will not live long in the memory.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tyler Harvey put that in a stocking ?<br><br>Watch the NBL on Christmas Day Live and Free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies / 10 Peach & 10 Play ? <a href="https://t.co/gbxKqqBfBM">pic.twitter.com/gbxKqqBfBM</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1739231426694762549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Vasiljevic, on the other hand, has relished his more ball-heavy role for Adelaide, and while his five assists in the loss to Perth are a big tick, his nine points on 3-10 shooting made for grim reading in the box score.

Both players have shown throughout their NBL careers that when they get dialed in on offence they’re two of the hardest players to stop scoring in the competition, but they’ve also shown a desire to continue to keep putting up shots, even when they’re not falling.

Which of the pair will be blanketed, and which could prove game-winner?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dejan from outer space! ?<br><br>Dejan Vasiljevic drains a three from almost half-court and Adelaide is mounting a comeback deep into the fourth!<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> live on ESPN! ? <a href="https://t.co/5TgEgixQQG">pic.twitter.com/5TgEgixQQG</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1735973237933363370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>