WITH injuries blowing the top-six race wide open in the National Basketball League (NBL), Illawarra Hawks showed why they are primed for a run at the play-in with a 38-point win over the Brisbane Bullets.

In the final game of Round 18, the Bullets welcomed the Hawks to Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Monday night, with the visitors given extra motivation for winning courtesy of untimely injuries to their biggest competitors for sixth spot come season’s end.

Both the Tasmania JackJumpers and New Zealand Breakers saw key players sidelined in recent weeks, opening the door for the reigning champions to swoop in and steal the final place in the play-in tournament over the final four rounds of the season.

The Hawks had the perfect start to their quest, completely dominating the Bullets to claim a huge win and continue to generate some momentum heading towards the pointy end of the fixture, as well as send a message to their upcoming opponents.

Brisbane Bullets (75) def. by Illawarra Hawks (113)

Previously sitting with a record of eight wins and 16 losses, the Hawks continued their winning streak with a dominant display over the Bullets on the road, keeping their season alive after defeating the JackJumpers on Saturday night.

Brisbane showed some fight early in the piece, looking aggressive when getting to its spots and even holding a one-point buffer midway through the first quarter. However, that was the last time the Bullets led for the match, as the Hawks completely took over for the remainder of the contest in what was absolutely a one-sided affair.

Head coach Justin Tatum showed no fear after surrendering an early lead, subbing out all five starters and when the bench unit went on a 10-0 run, it proved the defining period of the match. From there, Illawarra never looked back and stormed home to a 10th win of the season to move past the Breakers on the ladder.

The reigning champions would have once again been thrilled at how balanced the performance was from both the starters and bench players, with the Hawks proving one of the deepest teams in the competition now that they are fully healthy at the right time of the season.

Captain Tyler Harvey came off the bench and led the way on the scoring front, posting 22 points on 7/10 shooting to go with six rebounds and five assists, while William Hickey also came off the pine and showed his x-factor with 17 points and seven assists. Five bench players scored double-digits for the Hawks to perfectly demonstrate how deep the team is.

The starting unit was led by big man JaVale McGee, who took advantage of his matchup with the less-experienced Jacob Holt to post a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds (including a massive poster over his direct opponent), while QJ Peterson dropped 15 points on 3/4 shooting from behind the arc.

Despite the loss, import Hunter Maldonado was still able to shine for the Bullets, dropping a team-high 20 points and consistently looking to inject some much-needed offensive production into the home side, albeit against a strong tide.

The turnaround is short for Brisbane, set to face off against the ladder-leading Adelaide 36ers on the Gold Coast in an Ignite Cup encounter tonight, while the Hawks will face off against the neighbouring Sydney Kings in a blockbuster clash on Thursday.