Friday, February 9 at 5:30pm AEDT | Spark Arena

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The Breakers have confirmed Anthony Lamb suffered a ruptured Achilles in New Zealand’s Round 18 win over Perth, and the All-NBL First Team-elect will miss the remainder of NBL24. He has been replaced on the roster by Dom Kelman-Poto, who has appeared in one game this season.

Liam Santamaria believes Zylan Cheatham is the player who will most likely step up in Lamb’s absence, while Lanard Copeland labelled Parker Jackson-Cartwright a “killer” on NBL Overtime.

Sam Froling has lauded the influence of Illawarra’s bench in the Hawks’ Round 18 win over Brisbane.

Gary Clark has stated his belief interim head coach Justin Tatum should be named the NBL Coach of the Year, for his role in turning around the club over the course of his tenure so far.

Todd Blanchfield will be absent from this clash due to personal reasons, while no solid timeframe has been placed on the return of injured Breakers import Justinian Jessup, for whom Lamb was initially signed as a replacement player.

New Zealand
89-78 win over Perth
85-89 loss to Illawarra
94-88 win over Tasmania

Illawarra
89-76 win over Brisbane
89-85 win over New Zealand
95-77 win over Perth

Zylan Cheatham
Everyone on New Zealand’s roster is going to have to step up in a big way to cover the absence of Anthony Lamb, but the general consensus seems to be that Zylan Cheatham is going to be the player with whom the Breakers’ hopes rest with for the remainder of NBL24.

If you cast your mind back to the opening rounds of the season, Cheatham was being hailed as a potential MVP candidate. Injury struck though, and when he came back Lamb had arrived and stamped his authority as number one option of the offensive end.

While Lamb has played the starring role Cheatham has quietly been working his way back to full fitness, and has exploded in New Zealand’s recent wins over Perth and Tasmania.

Losing a player as good as Anthony Lamb is never good news, for any side, but there are few teams who have players like Cheatham who are not only willing and able to play second fiddle, but can also step up and be the main man at the drop of a hat.

“Zylan Cheatham is back and playing at a really high level. 24 points and eight rebounds in this win over Perth, for me, he’s their most important player. ‘PJC’, Anthony Lamb, they’ve been sensational, we know what Will McDowell-White can do when he’s playing at a high level, but for me Zylan Cheatham was the key to their season.” – Liam Santamaria on NBL Overtime.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Zylan Cheatham has crazy bounce ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach &amp; 10 Play | Sky Sport in NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/cF08Juxleo">pic.twitter.com/cF08Juxleo</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1754028673793999244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

William Hickey
‘Davo’ Hickey has found himself back in Illawarra’s rotation when the chips are down, and the 24-year-old guard has established himself as Justin Tatum’s backcourt multi-tool off the bench.

The resurgence of Hickey under Tatum in these past few games is a testament to the interim head coach’s desire to reward those who perform at training or in limited minutes on the floor.

Hickey was the one who finished the game when these sides met in Round 17. He hit a pair of clutch free throws to extend the lead to four with just three seconds left, and secured what could be a crucial victory in the context of Finals.

Really, all of the Hawks’ second unit is worth watching this week. Tatum seems to trust his backups just as much as his starting five no matter the situation, and Hickey and company performed exceptionally well in the final quarter of the Hawks’ win over Brisbane last week.

Anyone on this Illawarra side could be a match-winner this weekend, and given Tatum’s track record of giving those who deserve it consistent opportunity, who knows who’s going to step up?

“I think we rotated eight or nine guys in that fourth quarter, defensively we were unbelievable and we held them to ten points, and offensively we’ve got so many weapons. We’ve really started to work each other out and we’re really clicking.” – Sam Froling mid-week.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">William Hickey beats the shot clock and the Hawks are in front ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/DUpCgDJGCq">pic.twitter.com/DUpCgDJGCq</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1753695449532272928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Parker Jackson-Cartwright vs Justin Robinson
There aren’t many more dynamic or agile guards in the NBL than Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Justin Robinson, and while both have been performing strongly in recent weeks, the pressure is on them both to continue to lift their games in these final two rounds.

For Jackson-Cartwright, that puzzle is simple. Anthony Lamb is out, and the Breakers’ stars will all need to step up in his absence. Zylan Cheatham and Mantas Rubstavicius look like the two to step up in a positional sense, but ‘PJC’ needs to find that lightning he played with in the first half against Perth and catch it in a bottle.

He was absolutely electric in the opening stanzas against the Wildcats, but fell away as the game progressed, and the Wildcats bit back to mount a comeback before they were swatted away.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Could an All-NBL First Team be on the cards for Parker Jackson-Cartwright? ?<br> <br>With Anthony Lamb set for a likely stint on the sidelines, can the Breakers make a run for that top-six spot ?<br> <br>Watch NBL Overtime: <a href="https://t.co/9ixQsKJ5kA">https://t.co/9ixQsKJ5kA</a> <a href="https://t.co/rTBGux5qNt">pic.twitter.com/rTBGux5qNt</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1755006513633186291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For Robinson, that continued improvement needs to come as a result of the patience shown in him by the Hawks over these past two seasons.

After he sat out most of last season he’s flashed his exceptional quality in NBL24, but with four crucial games remaining, those flashes need to turn into something far more consistent and tangible.

Robinson has thrived since being moved to the bench, and he’s taken the shift to the second unit not as a demotion, but rather as a sidestep in role, which is exactly what it is.

He added 16 points in the win over Brisbane, and looks to be relishing the opportunity to be the main man in the backup unit, while pinch-hitting with the starting group.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justin Robinson has eyes in the back of his head ?<br><br>It&#39;s a close game in the &#39;Gong. Catch the final quarter live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play | Sky Sports in NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/8qLI0Z19OJ">pic.twitter.com/8qLI0Z19OJ</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1751466693824495924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New Zealand has lost five of its last seven games at Spark Arena, and the Hawks have emerged victorious in nine of the last 12 games between the two sides. If the Breakers are to make Finals, they need to buck that recent form and turn home court into a fortress.

Will McDowell-White.

New Zealand
Justinian Jessup – pelvis (February)
Anthony Lamb – Achilles (season)

Illawarra
Dan Grida – knee (season)