Hawks' playoff hopes soar in Adelaide

The Illawarra Hawks took full advantage of a flat Adelaide 36ers outfit missing Josh Giddey and Isaac Humphries to open up a huge lead, and enhance their playoff hopes with the 81-73 Friday night win.

The strong crowd of 6090 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre was looking forward to their home team returning home and building on their last four double-figure wins in front of them even if playoffs were out of reach after Sunday's loss in Sydney.

Giddey was with the team despite now having played his last game for Adelaide as he ramps up preparations for the NBA Draft and he was joined by big man Humphries who is done for the season too, and the Sixers played like a team devoid of spirit or hope in the first half.

The Hawks just blew them away with a stunning 18-0 run to close the first quarter after a scorching Brian Goorjian timeout spray. They also finished the second term with 10 straight points and led by as much as 26 at one point.

They would go on to hold to win by eight with the result crucial in their playoff race as they replace Sydney in fourth spot for now at 16-15.

Hawks coach Brian Goorjian was happy with how his team responded after that timeout and played most of the rest of the night.

"I just thought we were right back to where we were when we played Melbourne. I was very hard and harsh with them... about what needed to be done and the importance of the game," Goorjian said.

"Really, the timeout – early and quick. I hardly said a word. I was like 'come on now'. It wasn't about me, but what we needed to do as a team. I thought that after that we came out and we shut that down. 

"And that led to transition baskets that led to separation and gave us confidence. I was concerned in and I was always thinking that they were going to make a run. I know that they a couple missing, but so do we. 

"These young guys I was really excited about tonight. This thing is getting long, it's getting harsh. As angry as I was after the Melbourne game, I'm happy tonight. These last seven or eight games of the year are pressure games, and I do feel great about that."

The Hawks survived an early 14-6 start by the 36ers and a demonstrative timeout from Goorjian, which included a terrifying six seconds of silence followed by an expletive. 

However Goorjian, who is seeking his 21st straight NBL season of reaching the finals, made his point. By quarter-time, the Hawks had raced to a 24-14 lead. From that timeout, the Hawks scored 18 consecutive points. 

Much of that Hawks early production came from a somewhat surprising source, 22-year-old back-up guard Isaac White, who revelled in the opportunity to play in front of his hometown Adelaide crowd. He had eight of his 16 points in the first half. 

Sam Froling continues to shine in the league, as the 21-year-old had 12 of his 19 points in the first half when the game was there to be won. Deng complemented Froling well at the forward spot, contributing 10 for the match and adding seven rebounds. 

The 50-28 half-time lead was an intimidating one. And if the 36ers wanted to reward their loyal home fans for their support, they had to find something. 

Adelaide did manage to win the third-quarter, albeit by a single point (18-17) and still staring down a 21-point deficit going into the fourth quarter. 

It was 35-year-old point guard Daniel Dillon who delivered a lone four quarter effort for Adelaide starting in place of Giddey. The 2008 championship winner under Goorjian at the South Dragons finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Sixers coach Conner Henry didn’t mince words with what he thought of the effort post-match.

"It was 14-7, I think and Brian called the timeout and I think it was 28-14," Henry said.

"That was our worst game of the season. Our starters were very poor except for this man right here [Daniel Dillon], at the advanced age of 35... he really has a high level of "give a shit" at the end of the day. 

"I didn't think we had that [fight] for a good portion of that game when they went up close to 30 points or something like that. But those guys [36ers' reserves] came off the bench and gave us good minutes."

Hawks import Justin Simon was super-efficient on offence, making 5/6 on his way to 10 points for the game. 

Tyler Harvey’s shooting was a little askew by comparison (5/15), but the Californian-born guard didn’t lower his stripes in the slightest on his way to 15 points. 

In fact, as the 36ers mounted an optimistic rally in the final quarter, drawing as close as eight points, it was Harvey who hit a late three-pointer to extend the lead to 11 points with just over two minutes of play. And on the stroke of a minute to go, he did the same thing again. 

Both teams have just under 48 hours of rest before Sunday afternoon games. The 36ers host their final home game of the season against the Perth Wildcats before the Hawks are at home to the bottom placed Cairns Taipans.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 19

ADELAIDE 36ERS 73 (Dillon 17, Johnson 13, Teys 10)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 81 (Froling 19, Harvey 18, White 16) 

BOX SCORE