Harvey the hero as Hawks stun Taipans

Tyler Harvey continued to build his reputation as a game winning shot maker for the Illawarra Hawks dropping a stunning three-pointer to seal the 84-83 win for his team at home to the Cairns Taipans.

The game might not have reached any great heights with the Taipans shooting just 6-of-28 from three-point range and going 23-of-35 at the foul line while the Hawks went 39 per cent from the floor and shot just 10-of-37 from downtown.

However, a thrilling finish can make up for a lot and with Cairns playing a first NBL game since a two-week trip to the United States for NBLxNBA games against the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors, Patrick Miller put them on his back.

Renowned as a closer, he stepped up with the Snakes missing back court pair Taran Armstrong and Tahjere McCall as he helped the Taipans chase down a 13-point lead and edge in front in the final period.

Miller's jump shot in the final minute gave the Taipans a two-point lead that looked as though it could have been match-winning.

The Hawks opted to not call the timeout with six seconds to go and that ensured the ball would be in the hands of Harvey. It worked a treat.

His deep three swished through the net with Cairns defenders Sam Waardenburg and Bul Kuol in close vicinity with one second remaining, sending the home crowd into raptures and improving the Hawks to 2-4.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TYLER. HARVEY.<br><br>THAT&#39;S GAME. <a href="https://t.co/axjDhicK6r">pic.twitter.com/axjDhicK6r</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1717489800482328587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"I turned around to my assistants and I said, 'That's why we have him (Harvey)'," said Hawks coach Jacob Jackomas.

"It's good that people can be reminded how special he is at the end of the clock. In that space, he always gives us a chance."

It was the sloppy nature of the Taipans game and the mistakes they made that coach Adam Forde lamented aftewards.

"It's a tall order to expect us to win if we keep giving up second chance points," said Forde.

"I don't want to discredit Illawarra but during the game, I felt like we were better-equipped to close it out, but we didn't and Illawarra did. It's the one that got away."

Nine first-quarter points from captain Sam Froling helped the Hawks to a nine-point lead at the first change.

After the Taipans locked down the paint to finish the first half, it was rangy centre Froling who reignited the Hawks with back-to-back baskets to begin the second half.

He had his double-double with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Taipans did a better job at targeting him in the second half. 

Froling (16 points, 13 rebounds) went scoreless after half-time.

Import Justin Robinson, who had struggled from the field to begin the season, hit a three that forced a timeout and restored a game-high 13-point lead in the third quarter.

But lapses in concentration threatened to cost the Hawks.

They invited Cairns back into the game by shooting only one of their last nine attempts from the field in the third quarter, having gone almost four minutes without scoring from the field in the second.

A jump shot from Miller brought the margin to only one point at the final change, after big man Sam Waardenburg came up with nine third-quarter points.

After the break, a free-throw from Waardenburg tied things up, one of nine occasions in the final quarter alone that scores were level.

It took Harvey's moment of magic to split the sides late.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 5

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 84 (Harvey 20, Froling 16, Robinson 11)

CAIRNS TAIPANS 83 (Miller 24, Kuol 19, Waardenburg 14)

BOX SCORE