GAME WINNER! Doyle's step back sinks the 36ers | Hawks v Adelaide | NBL27 - Blitz Game 1

There are quiet ways to introduce yourself to Hawkheads. Milton Doyle chose the other one.

Zylan Cheatham missed the second of two free throws with ten seconds left. Mason Peatling took the rebound. Doyle brought it up the floor himself, pulled into a step back three from the wing with 3.4 on the clock, and drained it. Nothing but net. Nick Rakocevic's answer from over half court at the buzzer missed. Hawks 100, Adelaide 99.

It was the last of 40* lead changes in a game that never let either side get comfortable. Illawarra's biggest lead all night was eight. Adelaide's was six. Forty times the scoreboard flipped, and the fortieth was the one that counted.

The debuts

Doyle finished with 23 points on 6 of 11 from long range, plus five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Kelan Martin gave him 20 on 9 of 17. Between them, 43 points on debut in Hawks colours.

Martin was the one who made the ending possible. With 15 seconds left and the Hawks six down, Sam Froling found him for a three to cut it to 95-98. Adelaide inbounded, Bryce Cotton coughed it up under pressure, Doyle picked the pocket and fed William "Davo" Hickey for a layup and the foul. 97-98. Hickey's free throw rimmed out, Zylan Cheatham cleaned up, Froling fouled, and Cheatham made one of two.

97-99, ten seconds, Hawks ball after Mason Peatling boxed out and secured the rebound.

Then the commentator's call said it all: "On his Hawks debut, Milton Doyle doing what Milton Doyle does best."

From 92-98 with 20 seconds left, Illawarra outscored Adelaide 8-1 to steal it. That is preseason for you, except nobody in either huddle was treating it like preseason.

The shape of it

This was a shootout from the opening minute. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk opened the Hawks' account with a step back three and the foul, a four point play inside the first minute, and he finished 3 of 4 from beyond the arc for 10 points. Adelaide answered with six threes in the first quarter alone. By the time the 36ers called timeout with the Hawks up 20-19, both teams were already shooting the lights out.

Both finished with exactly 14 threes made. Illawarra shot 40 per cent from distance, Adelaide 38.9.

What separated the Hawks was the ball. Twenty-eight assists on 37 made field goals, better than three in every four buckets created for someone else. Hickey led the team with seven to go with 12 points and six rebounds. Tyler Harvey had six, including a look-away dime in transition to a sprinting Peatling. Peatling himself had five. Doyle five.

The bench gave 31 of the 100. Daniel Grida was perfect, 4 of 4 for eight points in under 13 minutes, including a deflection that turned into a fast break and a huge offensive rebound and put-back to tie it at 69. Froling posted the best plus-minus on the floor at +14 in just 16 minutes before foul trouble bit.

Associate Head Coach Joel Khalu ran the bench for the night with Justin Tatum watching on.

What Adelaide brought

Flynn Cameron was outstanding with 27 points on 5 of 10 from three, six rebounds and six assists. Cotton added 20. Cheatham was a problem all night with 16 points and 15 rebounds, and John Jenkins nearly broke the game open late with four threes, including back to back daggers that put Adelaide up 90-96 with 1:12 left.

The Hawks were also fouling. Twenty-seven team fouls to Adelaide's 16, and nine more free throw trips for the 36ers. Clean that up and this is not a one point game.

Next

The Hawks are straight back at Red Energy Arena on Sunday 6 September, 2:30pm, against Melbourne United to close out the Bendigo Blitz.

Then it gets real. Round 1 is away to the Breakers on Sunday 20 September.

The WIN Entertainment Centre finally opens its doors on Friday 2 October at 7:30pm when Adelaide come to Wollongong for the home opener.

If tonight was any indication of what that rematch looks like, you want to be in the building.

Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster, and Hawkheads who want every home game of NBL27 should be looking hard at a membership before the season starts.

Full highlights, photos and reaction are up across our socials now. Go and watch that Doyle shot again. And again.... And subscribe to our new and improved Youtube channel.

NBL BLITZ 2026 (Boxscore)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 100 (Doyle 23, Martin 20, Hickey 12, Harvey 11, Swaka Lo Buluk 10)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 99 (Cameron 27, Cotton 20, Cheatham 16, Jenkins 16, Rakocevic 10)

The season proper

Be at the WIN Entertainment Centre for our first home game.

After three tough road games to start the season, the home opener is Friday October 2, vs the Adelaide 36ers.

• Single Game tickets are now available

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*Update: Sep 4, 2026: Official Stats have been updated to 39 lead changes, not 40 as mentioned in this article.