TONIGHT will see the seventh-placed Illawarra Hawks face the second-placed SEM Phoenix in an interesting matchup. The teams have faced off twice in NBL26, with the results split, setting up an even contest on Thursday.

In their first matchup, the Phoenix absolutely dominated in a 40-point win, 116-76. In their second game, the Hawks flipped the switch and narrowly won 113-109 in overtime, thanks to JaVale McGee‘s dominant performance with 29 points and 13 rebounds.

These two games have shown that whilst the difference on the table is large, Illawarra has shown it can beat the Phoenix and today could be anyone’s game. The game will be decided by who wants it more and which players can step up to help guide their team to victory. With that in mind, here are some of the players you should look out for in tonight’s game.

JaVale McGee (Hawks)

It comes as no surprise that McGee will be the game changer for Illawarra tonight, as the superstar offseason signing has had multiple dominant performances and has been by far the most crucial player for Illawarra. In his first game against the Phoenix, he put up 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, all in just 23 minutes of play. If McGee can catch fire tonight and dominate in the paint, then there is nobody in the league who is able to stop him, and he just might be the hero for Illawarra tonight.

Nathan Sobey (Phoenix)

NBL veteran Sobey has had a career of over ten years in this league, consistently being one of the best scorers in the league. This season is no different, as the 35-year-old has averaged an impressive 22 points per game, and in his last three games, he is averaging 28 points per game, with his best performance in this stretch being a 31-point double-double against the Cairns Taipans. His ability to score from everywhere on the court has been crucial for the Phoenix, and if another scoring explosion can happen tonight to continue his hot streak, then there is no reason why South East Melbourne can’t win tonight.

QJ Peterson (Hawks)

Peterson joined the Hawks and has developed into a key scorer when he’s on his night. Interestingly, his favourite team to play is the one and only SE Melbourne Phoenix. On December 4th, Peterson erupted against the Phoenix, scoring a whopping 42 points, which was the game-changer in the Hawks’ overtime win. No promises to be made, but with the confidence that Peterson will come into the game with, another incredible performance may be at play tonight.

Angus Glover (Phoenix)

Sharpshooter Angus Glover has been an impact player ever since he joined the Phoenix, whilst not being someone who will get you 20 points a game, he is more of a sharpshooter who can get hot in a matter of seconds. Glover is one of the best shooters the league has to offer, with his season high being against the Hawks, where the Phoenix burned bright with an 26 point, eight three-pointer game, shooting 64 per cent from beyond the arc. If Glover can once again catch fire, then there is no stopping him, and he will be the player to win the game.

William Hickey (Hawks)

Now in his fourth season in Illawarra, Hickey’s development into one of Australian basketball’s best players has been on show this season. Whilst battling some minor setbacks due to injury, he finally was able to show how good he truly is, as a do-it-all player for Illawarra. A consistent triple-double threat, he will be crucial for the Hawks, and he will need to play at a top level for his team to win. In his last game against the Phoenix, he impressed with a 16-point, six-rebound and 10-assist performance, along with three blocks, which just shows his versatility along the stat sheet.

In a star-studded game, there are so many other guys who can impact the game, with the honourable mentions including Tyler Harvey, John Brown III, Wes Iwundu and Sam Froling, but the only way to know is who shows up to the game with a mindset to dominate.