Preview: Sydney vs Illawarra - Round 12, NBL24

Monday, 25 December at 7:30pm AEDT | Qudos Bank Arena 

Watch: Live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, 10 Peach and 10 Play | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

The reigning champions Sydney have not had the success they expected going into the season. Attempting a three-peat, they are sitting third on the ladder and seventh in defensive rating – leaving the team with somewhat of an identity crisis, after their two defence-driven titles. 

The Kings have lost two of their last three, but have shown countless glimpses of Championship potential, despite the new-look roster.

It was an eye-opening loss to New Zealand on Friday night, with former NBA player Denzel Valentine scoreless and the Breakers taking the win at Spark Arena. 

The Kings come into this Christmas Day games playing their first home game since December 10, where they lost to the Phoenix. They’ll be hosting their state rival, the Illawarra Hawks, in what should be a packed crowd at Qudos Bank Arena.

The Hawks have been red-hot under Justin Tatum, winning three of their past five games, since he took over as interim coach. In his first game as coach against the Kings, there will be pressure to perform well, particularly coming off a disappointing loss to the JackJumpers.

Sydney Kings
101-109 loss to New Zealand
90-82 win over Tasmania
94-104 loss to South East Melbourne

Illawarra Hawks
100-89 loss to Illawarra
100-72 win over South East Melbourne
100-82 win over Perth 

Jaylin Galloway 
Looking healthy after his return from a shoulder injury, Kings fans will welcome Galloway with open arms on Christmas Day. 

He’s had an up-and-down return in recent weeks, scoring 22 points in 21 minutes against the JackJumpers on the road last round, before a quieter performance against the Breakers on Friday.

But one thing's for sure - Galloway is a star in the making and will be a headache for the Hawks to guard on Christmas night. 

Liam Santamaria praised his abilities at such a young age, saying the NBA is not far out of reach for the two-time NBL champion. 

“I would not be surprised at all to see him with a 10-day contract or two,” he said on NBL Overtime. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jaylin Galloway is having a big impact off the bench ? <br><br>He’s scored a game-high 19 points for the Kings ?<br><br>Watch live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach &amp; 10 Play ? <a href="https://t.co/vqTmoIwtu4">pic.twitter.com/vqTmoIwtu4</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1736240779385778410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Coming off a Summer League appearance and an NBL1 North championship, Galloway has set himself up for stardom and will be up and ready to cause a commotion for Ilawarra’s defence on Monday night. 

Tyler Harvey 
Under interim coach Justin Tatum, Tyler Harvey has found his groove once again from season's past.

Damon Lowery described Illawarra as a “glorious thing to watch,” on NBL Now. The former Hawk pointed to the team playing for each other, with pride and respectability, after their cold start to NBL24.

Harvey has flourished in Tatum’s run-and-gun style, scoring a season-high 22 points in the first half of their game against the Phoenix in Round 11 (finishing with 25). He then added 12 points with five assists against the JackJumpers on Saturday. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let him cook ?‍? <br><br>Tyler Harvey has ALREADY passed his season-high in the first half with 2?2? points ? <br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/6MNDUebN82">pic.twitter.com/6MNDUebN82</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1735922312241885659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


“He’s an All-NBL level performer when he’s playing at this kind of level, we’ve seen it before when he was top three in MVP voting,” Santamaria said of Harvey on NBL Overtime. 

Against the Hawks' biggest rivals, Harvey will have a point to prove. He has a habit of stepping up in big games, so look out on Christmas night. 

Tyler Harvey defended by Kouat Noi in the last Freeway Series game.

Jaylen Adams vs Justin Robinson 
The NBL22 MVP Jaylen Adams will take on former NBA guard Justin Robinson in a classic point guard head-to-head matchup.

Playing games on Christmas isn’t new to these American guards, with Adams listed as active on the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench during a Christmas Day game in 2021, while Robinson was rostered in two separate Boxing Day games in the NBA.

Now as the stars of their respective teams, the two elite scorers will have a lot to prove in this Freeway Series clash. 

The Hawks are 0-2 against the Kings this season, with Adams averaging 18 points across the series. While Robinson only averaged 11, this will be the first game of the Series at Qudos Bank Arena – a loud crowd for the Hawks to face on such a crucial game. 

Both teams feature extremely talented wings, the Hawks’ Gary Clark, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk balance out the likes of Next-Star Alex Toohey and DJ Hogg.

This leaves the two guards to battle it out, setting up what should be a dogfight of aerial finishes and playmaking brilliance. 

Jaylen Adams is in the MVP conversation.

Sydney
Nil 

Illawarra
Daniel Grida – ankle (TBC)