Makur Maker’s career-high 23 and a go-ahead three deliver our first road win of NBL27

Game Recap: Hawks @ Melbourne United | RD5 NBL27

Turning 1-and-6 into 2-and-6. That was the job Justin Tatum set at this week’s Hawks in Business Lessons in Leadership Luncheon, and on Sunday evening at John Cain Arena we got it done.

Makur Maker poured in a new NBL career high of 23 points and buried the go-ahead three with a minute to play, before Milton Doyle split a pair at the line with 4.5 seconds left as we held off Melbourne United 91-89 for our first road win of the season.

It was never simple. We trailed by six at quarter time, and before tonight we had lost 21 of our last 22 games when behind at the first break. Not this time. We exploded for 35 points in the second to lead by as many as 16, and took a 13-point lead into the last. United threw everything at us, running off a 22-9 burst to tie it at 87 and then edging ahead 89-87. This group had an answer.

“It was a pretty good tough adversity win for us,” Justin Tatum said. “Our boys have been working hard this whole week, trusting each other, finding ways to... get back in the win column.”

Twenty-three and the dagger

Maker’s night started early and finished at exactly the right moment. He had 8 points by quarter time, tying it at 13 with a three and then cleaning up a Davo Hickey miss to finish through contact on Josh Oduro for the and-one. By three-quarter time he was on 20, closing the third with two thunderous dunks set up by Doyle, the second off an inbound play with 3.1 seconds left on the clock.

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His only basket of the fourth was the one that mattered. With United up 89-87 and a minute to play, Maker let fly from deep for a 90-89 lead we never gave back. He finished with 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting, plus 6 rebounds, a steal and a block. The 23 points and 10 field goals are both new NBL career highs, the points five clear of his previous best.

Tatum saw it coming long before the big shot.

“MK is a very talented young man. He has a really good skill set... that shot he made towards the end was big, much needed. But prior to that, he was really good defensively, he was talking, moving his feet, and got a couple of lobs above the rim.”

Back from his first zero

Last Sunday, Doyle went scoreless for the first time in his NBL career. Seven days later he was running the show. He finished with 16 points, 7 assists and a steal, and he was at the heart of the second-quarter surge with 9 points in the term. His steal and pull-up three made it 41-35, and commentator Damon Lowery called it on air: “it’s the Milton Doyle game.”

He wasn’t finished. His wing three over Cole Anthony made it 87-79 in the fourth, and with 4.5 seconds left and us up one, he missed the first free throw and calmly buried the second for a two-point cushion.

“Just getting back to my... youth days of how I used to play,” Doyle said. “I think that’s how most of the guys here play, they play off the freedom that JT gives us, which is a great, great vibe to have from a coach.”

Grida brings the chaos

Daniel Grida played 16 minutes and changed the temperature of the game. In the second quarter he stood his ground on an Oduro screen and drew the offensive foul, Oduro’s third, sending United’s big man to the bench in the middle of our run. He was diving on everything, with one loose ball leading to a Hickey fast-break layup and another forcing a jump ball that gave us possession, and he threw down a huge baseline dunk for good measure.

His 3 steals are a new NBL career high, and he added 7 points, a block and a tough finish over Oduro in the paint in the fourth. He was plus 9 in his minutes.

Thirty-five in the second

The second quarter was as good as we have played all season. Out of a timeout at 36-35, we ripped off 12 unanswered: Grida found Maker, Doyle hit his steal-and-three, Kelan Martin drained a three and a midrange jumper, and Maker finished a Doyle dime with a dunk. We won the quarter 35-16, and Tyler Harvey turned an inbound steal into two with 11 seconds left to send us in at 56-43.

Sam Froling had all 12 of his points by half time, 6 of them in the second with a pick-and-roll finish, a hook and a putback. He finished on 6 of 10 shooting with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Martin added 14 points and 3 assists, scoring twice in the fourth to keep United at arm’s length, while Harvey had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Hickey chipped in 9 points and 2 steals.

Four and a half seconds

After Maker’s three, we got the stop we needed. Harvey missed with 30 seconds left, but Luke Travers missed a wide-open corner three at the other end and Harvey hauled in the rebound, drawing the foul with 6.4 seconds left. United still had fouls to give, and Doyle reached the line with 4.5 seconds remaining. One from two made it 91-89. On the final inbound, Anthony slipped and Travers missed at the buzzer.

Where it nearly got away

United won the fourth 24-13, and two numbers explain how a 13-point lead disappeared. United went to the line 29 times to our 12, making 20 to our 9, an 11-point edge at the stripe. Free throws were flagged as the story of our season in the preview, and they nearly decided this one too. United also owned the glass 50-32, with 19 offensive rebounds.

We won it everywhere else. We forced 18 turnovers and gave up 10, collected 10 steals, moved the ball for 21 assists and shot 48.7 per cent from the field to United’s 44.4.

For Doyle, the defensive end was the story.

“I think we were so great offensively that... we slipped in... these first, whatever, six games on the defensive end, but now we’ve been focused on that,” he said. “Holding them to 89, that’s great for us. Builds a little more momentum going into these next few games.”

Anthony leads the charge

Anthony was the driving force for United with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, including three triples. Oduro added 16 points and 7 rebounds, 5 of them offensive, and Joe Ingles went 6 of 6 from the field for 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

“They just wanted this thing”

When the final shot missed, commentator Jack Heverin summed it up: “they just wanted this thing.” On the sideline, Tatum let out an emphatic fist pump. After four road losses to open the season, this one meant something, for the group in Melbourne and for every Hawkhead watching at home.

“We’re not a 1-and-6 team... we never was a 1-and-6 team,” Tatum said. “As long as guys stick together, understand what we’re doing, stay organised, we can compete in this league.”

Your call, Hawkheads

Who gets your Greater Bank Game MVP? Maker had 23 points and 6 rebounds on 10 of 14 shooting. Doyle posted 16 points and 7 assists. Martin added 14 points, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Froling had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Grida brought 7 points and 3 steals off the bench. The vote is yours.

Vote for your Greater Bank Game MVP

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Back to the Gong for two

We’re home for a double this week.

The reigning champion Sydney Kings visit WIN Entertainment Centre on Thursday 22 October at 7:30pm, before the Brisbane Bullets come to town on Saturday 24 October at 5:30pm.

Two home games, two chances to build on this one, and we want the Sandpit loud for both.

Justin Tatum after the win in Melbourne