Hawks to face 36ers after COVID-19 forces schedule change

The Illawarra Hawks will now play the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday, instead of Melbourne United, due to COVID-19 protocols.

The NBL confirmed on Thursday they were forced to amend the round six schedule due to positive COVID cases within the competition.

With Adelaide's Friday fixture against Perth at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre postponed until Wednesday, January 12, the NBL made the call to send the 36ers to Wollongong instead.

"The health and safety of the players, coaches, clubs, staff and fans is the League’s number one priority when considering these matters," an NBL representative said.

"The NBL will continue to follow the advice of governments and health authorities.

"Regular testing of all players and staff will continue, while further testing will be carried out on individuals impacted or those deemed close contacts."

The Hawks and 36ers fixture is one of five that will feature in a revamped round six of the NBL22 season, starting with Cairns battling Sydney on Saturday - followed by Brisbane taking on New Zealand (Sunday), Cairns locking horns with Brisbane (Tuesday) and finally Adelaide facing Perth (Wednesday).

Sunday, which will still tip-off at the WIN Entertainment Centre, from 1pm AEDT, will mark the second time the Hawks have taken on the 36ers in NBL22, with Brian Goorjian's troops claiming the 81-71 win in round one.

Tickets for Sunday's match are available via Ticketmaster.