Game preview: Hawks @ Perth Wildcats | RD9 NBL27

Five games, fifteen days, four cities, and it ends where it started. The Hawks are back at RAC Arena on Saturday night, two weeks after walking out of the Jungle with a 105-98 win, and they are locked in on finishing this trip the same way.

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The record says 5-9. But the road swing says three wins from four: Perth, Cairns, and Wednesday night’s 120-110 shootout over the Phoenix in Melbourne, either side of a tough night in Adelaide. Four of the Hawks’ five wins this season have come away from home.

Milton Doyle says that was the plan from the day they left.

“We knew we were going to be on the road for two weeks, a little more than that, and this is going to build or break us,” Doyle said. “Right now we’re in the building part of it. We look good, and we got one more game to go get.”

Wednesday was the best the offence has looked all year. A 43-point second quarter and 71 by half-time, both club records in the 40-minute era, on the way to a season-high 120. Kelan Martin poured in 27, and Davo Hickey ran the show with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists without a single turnover.

Then there was Doyle: 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, with six of his seven threes dropping.

“If I could get to 10, 11 shots in a game, I think you’ll see some games like this,” he said.

Head coach Justin Tatum never doubted it.

“I know how great this man is next to me,” Tatum said. “Everybody in that locker room, in that city of Wollongong, believes in him.”

The matchup

Hawks lead the season series 1-0.

Round 7 at RAC Arena, Saturday 31 October: Hawks 105, Wildcats 98.

• The Hawks led for 35:55. Perth’s only lead was 86-84 with 4:40 to play, and the Hawks closed 21-12 from there.
• Kelan Martin had 23 points with five threes. Makur Maker added 21.
• Johny Narkle, playing in his home state, scored 9 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, then blocked a Brandon Knight layup in the final seconds.
• Davo Hickey went within touching distance of a triple-double: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists.
• The Hawks grabbed 45 rebounds, 16 of them offensive, and the bench won its battle 47-33.

Perth (6-6) sit sixth and have their confidence back: they snapped a four-game losing run on Thursday night, beating Tasmania 98-92. All six of their wins this season have come at home, and Tatum knows what is waiting.

“It’s going to be tough, but at the end of the day I think my team will be ready,” he said.

Scouting the Wildcats

• ‍Dylan Windler: The do-everything forward. He averages 16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, had 19, 10 and four steals against us last time, and backed it up with 21 and 10 against the JackJumpers.
• ‍Kristian Doolittle: Perth’s engine. He averages 16.5 points and 6.3 assists and rarely leaves the floor, playing more than 35 minutes a night.‍
• Elijah Pepper and Brandon Knight: Pepper is Perth’s leading scorer at 18.1 points a game and dangerous from deep. The Hawks held him to 13 a fortnight ago. NBA veteran Knight is back from a hamstring injury and came off the bench for 23 on Thursday, so the Wildcats have another shot-maker to guard this time.
  

Keys to victory

• ‍Take care of the ball. The one blemish in Round 7 was 17 turnovers, with Perth picking off 11 steals. The Hawks average 11.7 a game. Play to that number and Perth lose their easiest points.‍
• Own the glass again. Sixteen offensive rebounds broke the game open last time, and Perth rank last in the league for defensive rebounds. Tatum started one big against the Phoenix and brought Sam Froling off the bench, and he says pairing Froling with Makur Maker will be a game-by-game call.‍
• Be the team making the runs. A 15-point lead in Round 7 turned into an 86-84 deficit before the Hawks steadied. Tatum wants that flipped: “Now we’re trying to stop those runs and actually be the ones putting on the runs.”
• ‍Unleash the bench. Forty-seven bench points in Perth, 66 in Melbourne. The second unit has been the difference on this trip.
  

Back home for Indigenous Round

The next time you can see it in person is Thursday 19 November at 7:30pm, when the Adelaide 36ers come to WIN Entertainment Centre for Indigenous Round.

Grab your seats now.

• Hollywood seats
• General admission from $99 for a Family, or just $30 each.
• Pre-game function
• See the jersey
  

Hawks @ Wildcats game details

• Who: Illawarra Hawks at Perth Wildcats
• When: Saturday 14 November 2026, 9:30pm AEDT
• Where: RAC Arena, Perth
• Watch: Watch live on ESPN, 9Go! and 9Now from 9:30pm AEDT.
• Watch party: The Illawarra Hotel

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