R5 Preview: Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks

When: 3pm (AEDT), Sunday 14 February

Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

Broadcast: SBS Viceland; Sky Sports NZ; SBS On Demand; Twitch

The last time
Sydney 98 (Tate 19, Ware 19, Newley 13) d Illawarra 82 (Dech 26, Glover 15), Round 20, 2019/20, Qudos Bank Arena

After Sydney’s gripping win over the Hawks in front of 17,514 in Round 7 last year, following by Illawarra’s epic 85-80 New Year’s Eve vengeance in the ‘Gong, it looked like the NSW derby was back on track. But the uber-talented Kings made light work of the last two meetings of NBL20, and this one was over before it really began as the Sydney-siders took a 14-point lead into half-time and were never challenged there-after, Casper Ware and Jae-Sean Tate combining for 38 points on 8-of-15 from long range.


The now
That was Valentine’s Day last year, but don’t expect a similar massacre this time around, with the much-improved Hawks desperate to bounce back from dual losses. They’ll need to fix some holes at the defensive end, having been put on the back foot for the first time this year by United and the Phoenix, and being left vulnerable defending the arc. If they can do that, you know Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup can post a winning score.

The Kings are in the opposite basket, having limped to a 1-3 record with a defence not yet clicking. However, rookie coach Adam Forde made some significant adjustments and they have won their next two conceding a miserly 74.5ppg, while converting their opportunities from D into more paint attacks and more free throws to rack up 89ppg themselves, and the hoped-for return of Didi Louzada can only help in those areas.


The stats
 - In their past two losses, Illawarra have conceded 24 triples at 45 per cent. In their opening four games those numbers were 35 trifectas at 25 per cent

 - Against Melbourne, the Hawks won the possession game by 10, won points from turnovers 10-6, points in the paint 40-26 and second chance points 18-9 but lost the game

 - In the first four games, Sydney leaked 45.4 points in the paint. In their past two games they’ve given up just 25 per game with a more aggressive defensive approach

 - The Kings have six players averaging 1.5 assists per game or more, the most in the Hungry Jack’s NBL, but have just one player in the top 15


The key men

Justin Simon - After an outstanding start to his NBL career, Simon’s all-around impact has diminished. He’s averaged just 6.3 points and 2.7 defensive rebounds in his past three games, blocked 3 shots in the past four outings after swatting 5 in the first two, gone 1-of-6 from long range after opening the season 4-of-5 and made just 14 field goals at 29 per cent in his past six games. While he’s still pinching steals, the Hawks need more consistent production across the board.

Casper Ware – How about 49 points on 9-of-17 from range and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe in the past two games? It’s no surprise the Kings’ resurgence has coincided with Casper’s. While he has only been credited with 5 assists in those two Ws, his increased focus on playmaking first and then getting his later has been outstanding. He has made only 4-of-16 from inside the arc, however, and perhaps Simon’s length could be ideal to run him off the line without getting into rotations? At the other end the Hawks will be looking to run Tyler Harvey off as many picks as possible to wear Ware down.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Casper with the dagger! <br><br>Kings get the W. ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/FUfdbb9cll">pic.twitter.com/FUfdbb9cll</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1360174672722108416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The quotes

Some might see two-straight losses as an end to Illawarra’s hot start to the season, but the guru Brian Goorjian won’t have any of that ahead of his first NSW derby since 2008.

“I thought we had a down one last game (against the Phoenix), a real disappointing performance,” he said.

“Tonight we were back where we were in those wins, we played at the level we played at when we won, we just played a (Melbourne) team that was a little bit better, a little bit hotter.

“So the challenge comes for us, cross-town rivals on Sunday, we’re not going to be thinking about comparing ourselves to Melbourne - cross-town rival, big game, we've got to step up and get a win there.”

The numbers back the supercoach up to, with the Hawks getting the better of the statsheet in most areas, just unable to subdue United’s array of shooters.

“I’m certainly not hanging my head, nor is my team, about their performance. There is certainly disappointment, we were playing the best team in the league, undefeated, we had a good chance,” Goorjian said.

“The guys left it on the floor tonight, even the fact we struggled guarding them it wasn’t lack of effort, the bench was alive tonight, everybody that came in gave it everything they had.”


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">OH... OK, JJ.<br><br>Look the other way pls, <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MELatILL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MELatILL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> <a href="https://t.co/SFGI59mlsO">pic.twitter.com/SFGI59mlsO</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1359443682798096384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

However, Goorjian admitted he fell into the trap of not trusting his bench.

Illawarra’s reserves went into the game averaging 28.4 points per game, but their coach didn’t give them the chance to shine this time around.

“We got a lot out of the guys that I played, and they played their tails off, but I didn’t get the bench involved,” Goorjian said.

“I thought six or seven we got a lot out of, but in those four wins we were going nine, 10, 11 deep. Tonight, I cut that rotation down to six or seven when Deng Adel got into foul trouble.

“I tightened the belt down the stretch trying to get the win but I think that’s a big factor is our depth, and using the bench.”

Melbourne lead the league in bench scoring, and despite being without three key players, coach Dean Vickerman trusted his second unit, who outscored their Hawks counterparts 26-16 and left their starters fresh to finish the job down the stretch.

“They had no problem with depth tonight and they had all international players on the floor. They go 14 deep, and Sydney’s going to be the same challenge,” Goorjian said.

Like United, the Kings have shown an ability to get the job done down the stretch in the past two games, holding both New Zealand and Adelaide to 36 second-half points.

“I think grind is a nice term for a bit of ugliness about it, but it’s a bit of a confidence booster when you can win like that,” coach Adam Forde said after downing the Breakers.

“To able to get those stops in the fourth that we did, and then also use it as momentum for the offensive end, we can take a lot of confidence as a playing group from that type of win.”



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yeah, nah. <a href="https://twitter.com/jordihunter1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jordihunter1</a> ??‍??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/xDSKuqP8s5">pic.twitter.com/xDSKuqP8s5</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1360149067695673347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



For Forde though, leaking offensive rebounds to the Breakers was of serious concern, especially coming up against a Hawks team that grabs a second-ranked 13.2 o-boards, pulling in 32 per cent at that end of the floor.

“There aren't too many games I've ever witnessed or been involved in where you give up 20 offensive rebounds and come out with the win,” he said.

“Defensively we were in the right position, we were doing all the right things, and the areas we've spoken about during the week, we’re hitting all those marks, then you just don’t get the rebound – reward yourselves by concluding that possession by getting the ball.

"It’s something we've got to work on, because with Didi coming back and Kicks still due to come back and X down the track, while it’s great to have extra bodies, they're not going to be responsible for the 10 rebounds difference.

“So collectively with the guys we have now we’ve got to capitalise on finishing out that defensive possession. Those areas are still pretty fresh in our mind.”