Game preview: Hawks @ Perth Wildcats | RD7 NBL27

The Gong goes quiet for a month, but the Hawks are not going quiet with it. Saturday night at RAC Arena, in Rookie Round, is the first of five straight away games, a 15-day run that finishes back in Perth on 14 November.

We are 2-8 and sit tenth, and we are not hiding from it, because Hawkheads can read a ladder. But there was fight in last start’s 98-81 loss to Brisbane. We were 20 down at half-time, then won the third quarter 27-14, opening it with a 21-4 burst that cut the gap to three and had the roof off. Todd Blanchfield led the charge with 19 points off the bench.

Sam Froling pointed to Daniel Grida as the standard:

“We need everyone on the court to have that same energy that Grida carries for us to win multiple games.”

Perth is a tough first stop. The Wildcats are second on the ladder at 5-2 and have won five of six at home. They have played just one road game all season, and they host the Sydney Kings on Wednesday night before we arrive. They’ve barely left home.

The matchup

We haven’t met Perth yet this season, the series starts Saturday and the second game is back at RAC Arena on 14 November to close out the road trip.

• Hawks: 2-8, tenth, 1-4 away, averaging 95.2 points a game
• Wildcats: 5-2, second, 5-1 at home, averaging 92.9 points a game
• Our lone road win this season came at Melbourne United, 91-89 on 18 October
• Perth beat Melbourne United 103-102 in Perth on 23 October

Scouting the Wildcats

Elijah Pepper: Perth’s leading scorer at 20.1 points a game. He hunts his shots, launching 8.7 threes a game, and when he is fouled he rarely misses, shooting 84.6 per cent from the line.

Dylan Windler: A do-it-all presence who has started all seven games, averaging 17.0 points and 7.1 rebounds. He is dangerous from deep at 38.5 per cent, hits 95.2 per cent from the line, and has a season high of 32 points.

Kristian Doolittle is one of the NBL’s toughest covers. Averaging 16.5 points, 6.8 assists, 7.2 rebounds. Shooting at 52%.

Brandon Knight: Perth’s new guard, and the one Hawks need to track from the opening tip. The 451-game NBA veteran has played just three NBL games, but he scored 20 against Melbourne United and sealed the 103-102 win with a mid-range jumper with 8.4 seconds left, right after drawing a charge on Cole Anthony. He has said the NBL’s detail and intensity beat what he saw in the NBA, and Perth pressure the ball the length of the floor.

Keys to victory

Move the ball. Our offence looks smooth when the ball is moving and grinds to a halt when it is over-dribbled. We had 33 assists in the 114-92 win over Adelaide, a season high, and just 15 against Brisbane, well below the 21.7 a game we came in averaging. Beat Perth’s pressure with passes, not dribbles.

Win the glass. We are getting outrebounded 43.0 to 37.6 a game, and Brisbane beat us 53-31 on the boards last start. Perth are also outrebounded, 40.0 to 37.0 a game, so this is there for the taking.

Stay out of foul trouble. Perth shoot a league-best 78.9 per cent from the line, and we commit 20.3 fouls a game. Opponents attempt 25.0 free throws a game to our 17.0, so every unnecessary foul is a gift.

Attack the rim. Perth block just 1.1 shots a game, the fewest in the league. Get downhill, finish strong and get to the line.

When the road trip is done, the Gong is waiting. We are back at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Thursday 19 November for Indigenous Round against Adelaide, and you can be courtside and part of the action with Hollywood Seats.

Game details

• Who: Illawarra Hawks at Perth Wildcats
• When: Saturday 31 October, 9:30pm AEDT
• Where: RAC Arena, Perth
• ‍Watch party: The Illawarra Hotel
• Watch: Tune in on ESPN Disney+

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