Hawks chase double Taipans triumph

The Illawarra Hawks will chase their second win against the Cairns Taipans in less than a week when they battle the Queenslanders on Friday night at the WIN Entertainment Centre.

The two sides locked horns on Saturday, with the Hawks prevailing by six points.

Since then, the Snakes suffered their second straight defeat, and fourth in five games, going down 84-83 to the New Zealand Breakers at the Cairns Convention Centre.

The round 12 clash looms pivotal for Brian Goorjian's troops, who sit in fourth with a 7-6 record, as the Sydney Kings (who have won their past three games) are knocking on the finals door with an 8-7 record.

That fact isn't lost on Hawks forward Sam Froling on his side, despite already downing the Snakes twice in NBL22.

"They're [Cairns] a good side. They're talented and obviously not a team that can be taken lightly," Townsville product Froling said.

"They play deep and with high energy, so it was a big one for us to get that win.

"But we like the way we played against them last time.

"We probably won't change it up too much, unless they want to.

"I mean we're happy with how we're going, so it's about playing hard."

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The Hawks lead the all-time series 44-36, on the back of winning 15 of the past 17 encounters.

On top of that, Illawarra has topped Cairns in their last nine matches at the WIN Entertainment Centre and 11 of last 12.  

The Hawks have played 622 home games in their history and a win in this game will be the first time they have beaten any opponent 10 straight times in Wollongong. 

To ensure the Hawks do walk away with the win, they'll have to slow down the visitors' dynamic backcourt duo of Scott Machado and Tahjere McCall.

The former has been impressive in his two games since returning from injury - posting 16 points in both fixtures.

While the latter has been a revelation during his first season in Australia, averaging 15.88 points, 6.63 rebounds and 6.13 assists through the Snakes' six matches.

For the Hawks, guards Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup will be tasked with slowing down the two American guards, while also continuing their solid offensive games - which sees them combine for close to 30 points a game.

"This competition is so good, every win you can get is going to be super important at the end of the year," Sam Froling said.

"Every win we can get now is big time.

"We will come out every game looking to have a crack and get those wins."

Friday's match, from 7.30pm AEDT, marks the Hawks' first of two games this round, with Goorjian's side also taking on the Tasmania JackJumpers for the first time ever on Sunday.

The same day, the Taipans will travel to South Australia to face the 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Tickets for both fixtures are available via Ticketmaster.