Hawks focus on ending two-game skid against Taipans

Fresh off back-to-back losses, the one focus for the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday is returning to the NBL winner's circle.

Standing in the Hawks' way at the WIN Entertainment Centre will be the resurgent Cairns Taipans - who come into the fixture following a tough road win against the Brisbane Bullets.

If Brian Goorjian's troops, who are now fifth with a 6-6 record, are to do so, they are going to improve their rebounds per game (40.5 - third-worst in NBL), assists (15.1 - fourth-worst) and free-throws attempted (13.5) - which ranks last in the competition.

These statistics were part of the reason the Hawks went down on Monday night to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

It's not all bad though, as the Hawks still rank first in turnovers (9.7), second in points (87.4), second in blocks (4.8), second in steals (7.8) and equal third in personal fouls (16.3).

"We have stretches where we do well and we have stretches where we can't get one, two stops in a row and that hurts," said Hawks point guard Tyler Harvey.

"If we can start getting those three stops in a row, that's a thing we want to focus on and that helps our momentum towards the offensive end because we do like to run.

"If we can figure that piece out, I think we're going to be a dangerous team and coach is doing everything he can to get us there."

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The round 11 NBL22 fixture will also mark Harvey's 50th in Hawks colours.

Since debuting in NBL21, the Eastern Washington alum has guided the foundation club to the semi-finals and finished second in last season's MVP race - thanks to 20.44 points/game.

This season, Harvey is averaging 16.83 points, 3.25 assists, three rebounds and two steals a game - which is good for equal second in the league alongside teammate Antonius Cleveland.

The Californian point guard's match-up with Taipans' excitement machine Tahjere McCall, who's stepped up in the absence of Scott Machado.

In his first season in Australia, McCall is posting 17.17 points, 6.83 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.67 steals each time he steps on the hardwood.

Another key match-up between the two sides will be between Cleveland and Majok Deng.

The former, a Southeast Missouri State University product, had a strong showing against the Taipans last month, recording 15 points, two rebounds and two steals - while producing an emphatic dunk of the year contender.

The latter comes into the clash in just as strong a form, chalking up 26 points, four rebounds and three assists in Saturday's win against the Bullets.

Tickets for the RIG game night partner fixture are available via Ticketmaster.