Preview: Sydney vs Illawarra - Round 19, NBL24

Friday, February 9, 2024

The Kings and Hawks are set to meet in one of the most important Freeway Series matchups in history.

Sunday, February 11 at 4pm AEDT | Qudos Bank Arena

Watch: Live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play - International viewership details
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Damon Lowery lamented the lack of trust he has in this Sydney roster to get the job done earlier this week, and believes there should be a “royal commission” into if anyone on the team has “quit” under Mahmoud Abdelfattah.

Jaylin Galloway said a win for the Kings would be doubly sweet this weekend if the victory also damaged Illawarra’s Finals hopes.

An eight-point margin in the third quarter of Friday night’s loss to New Zealand proved crucial to the Hawks, who suffered a three-point defeat to the Breakers in what was a crucial clash for both teams’ Finals hopes. The Hawks led by five with minutes remaining, but eventually slumped to defeat.

New Zealand’s win saw the Breakers leapfrog both the Hawks and Kings on the ladder. Sydney will enter this clash against its local rivals in seventh on the ladder and out of the Finals positions.

Todd Blanchfield as been listed as returning to the Hawks’ active roster after missing the clash with New Zealand for personal reasons.

Sydney
78-85 loss to Adelaide
98-86 win over Melbourne
98-104 loss to South East Melbourne

Illawarra
85-88 loss to New Zealand
89-76 win over Brisbane
89-85 win over New Zealand

Angus Glover
There are always eyes on Angus Glover when the Kings play the Hawks, not only because of the history he has with Illawarra, but the fact he’s managed to turn himself into such a fan favourite just down the highway in Sydney.

Glover spent five years with the Hawks, and left for the Kings following the liquidation of the foundation club at the end of NBL20. Since trading the red and black for purple and gold, he hasn’t looked back.

The guard has been such a barometer for the Kings in the past two seasons, however he’s found his influence on proceedings wavering under Mahmoud Abdelfattah. He’s had some solid scoring performances you would come to expect of him, but Glover isn’t being used in the same fashion as he was under Chase Buford.

At this pointy end of the season, Sydney need players to stand up and lead the team forward. As one of the Kings' longest-serving players – and as a former Hawk – Glover has a unique perspective on what is one of the NBL’s most heated rivalries.

He’s going to be up for this game, and the rest of his teammates need to follow him into the fire.

“We want to control our own fate and we’ve spoken about it, but at the end of the day we know what we’ve got to do, we’re going to take it one game at a time, one day at a time. The history is always close and the rivalry is always fierce, but this is probably a bit more on the line on Sunday, which is great for the game and great for the fans, but it’s going to be a hotly contested game.” – Angus Glover mid-week.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If at first you don't succeed, try and fly again ? <br><br>Angus Glover headed hot to the rack after chasing down his own miss ?<br><br>Catch the action live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play ? <a href="https://t.co/bQhkegf7ps">pic.twitter.com/bQhkegf7ps</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1751483456037491145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tyler Harvey
Tyler Harvey has been the hero of the Hawks on multiple occasions during his three seasons in Wollongong, but the former MVP candidate couldn’t get his shot to drop to force overtime against the Breakers on Thursday.

Outside of the final look to keep Illawarra in the game, Harvey was one of his side’s stellar performers. He led the team with 22 points and had a trio of steals, however he was left to lament the fact he made only six of his 17 shots for the night.

Harvey has perhaps been a little too trigger-happy at points throughout this NBL season, but when the chips are down and you need someone to hit a big shot, recent evidence suggests there is nobody you would want to take it more than the sharpshooter.

Friday was a tough loss for the Hawks to take. How quickly can they – and Harvey – shake it off and push forward against their local rivals?

“I thought it was in. It was a good look, it was pretty straight, and I’m always going to back myself to shoot and make those shots. My teammates do as well, but it was just unfortunate tonight I didn’t get that bounce.” Tyler Harvey following the loss to New Zealand.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s Tyler Harvey TIME! ?<br><br>Tyler Harvey hits two huge threes and is taking over this fourth quarter! <br><br>Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL</a> LIVE on ESPN! ? <a href="https://t.co/LpKkmZT7mk">pic.twitter.com/LpKkmZT7mk</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1755866153598214158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Justin Tatum vs Mahmoud Abdelfattah
Justin Tatum and Mahmoud Abdelfattah may have vastly different levels of coaching experience, styles of play, defensive strategies and outlook on the game of basketball, however the league’s two American coaches are both looking for similar responses from their respective sides.

The Hawks will be heartbroken at the nature in which they lost to New Zealand on Friday, while the Kings need to bounce back after last week’s disappointing loss to Adelaide.

Both coaches need to find a way to get the best out of their team and turn fortunes around, and quickly. A loss in this Freeway Series clash could spell the end of the Finals hopes for one of these sides.

Whoever loses this clash will fall out of the top six heading into the final round of the season, where Illawarra will face Perth and Melbourne, while Sydney will face South East Melbourne.

It’s not quite win or go home yet, but it might as well be. Who can give bragging rights to their fansbase while holding a steady hand towards a post-season appearance?

Sydney has won eight of its last nine games against Illawarra, but the Hawks have won the fourth quarter in each of their last four games. The Hawks will likely finish this one strongly, but can the Kings keep their recent head-to-head form intact and hold them off?

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Jonah Bolden.