ALTHOUGH the opposition put up a brave fight in the National Basketball League (NBL) action on Saturday evening, the ladder-leading Adelaide 36ers got the job done with a six-point win over the Illawarra Hawks.

It was a big opportunity for the Sixers to bounce back following a disappointing loss earlier in the round, with Adelaide falling to the Sydney Kings in the Ignite Cup on Wednesday night. Although the Sixers still had a significant lead on the ladder thanks to a drop off in form by Melbourne United, it still reduced the gap.

In their path at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday were the Hawks, who did have home court advantage but were missing two key players. Both JaVale McGee and Tyler Harvey were ruled out prior to the game, so the matchup suddenly became remarkably one-sided against the top of the table Sixers.

Although it was still an impressive performance from the Hawks, the Sixers did enough to stay in front of Illawarra when it mattered most, holding on for a six-point triumph in enemy territory to deny the hosts a memorable upset.

Illawarra Hawks (78) def. by Adelaide 36ers (84)

It was a strong start from Illawarra at WIN Entertainment Centre, firing up the home crowd with a balanced number of scorers in the opening frame despite being down a couple of key names. However, Isaac Humphries was a one-man show for the Sixers in the first quarter, scoring his team’s first 10 points to help tie the scores up at the opening change.

The second quarter was a tale of two halves, with much of the period belonging to the visitors, who began to show why they are the championship favourites. However, the Hawks were not going to lie down, especially not at home, as reigning champions scored the final nine points of the half to cut the margin down to two points despite trailing by double-digits earlier.

The contest remained tight in the second half, with the Sixers unable to truly put the game away against a shorthanded Hawks outfit. Adelaide was executing some strong offensive sets, with Bryce Cotton in the thick of it as per usual, but Illawarra was pushing the pace down the other end with an impressive transition game, and the margin still sat at one point at the final change.

The Hawks hung in there until the final stages of the game, but the result slipped away from them as Humphries nailed a putback tip-in following a Cotton miss, before Dejan Vasiljevic sealed the game at the free throw line. Adelaide’s decision to go big with its lineups and stretch a Hawks outfit missing McGee proved a winning formula in the end.

Although he was well-held by Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Cotton was still able to contribute with 16 points (6/18 FG) and seven assists, although Humphries was more impressive with 16 points, six boards and four dimes, while Nick Rakocevic returned from suspension to drop 11 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Hawks, Swaka Lo Buluk delivered on both ends, dropping a career-high 18 points to show that he can step up if given the opportunity. Import QJ Peterson top scored for the match with 21 points in the absence of Harvey and tried to will his side over the line for an upset victory at home.