Round 2: Wildcats vs Hawks

The Hawks hit the road for the first time in Hungry Jack's NBL23 and a date with the Perth Wildcats and Red Army on Saturday evening.

Fresh off an 85-72 victory against the Phoenix, our attention now shifts to the West in search of our first back-to-back victories of the season.

The Hawk's bench depth was again on show, with the 37-point outing following the 47-point effort against the Kings.

Tyler Harvey led from the front with 22 points on 8/16 shooting and 3/5 from the perimeter and was well supported by several key contributors on the night.

George King continued his impressive start to the season with 16 points, and Sam Froling was his consistent self with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Round one hero Lachie again hit the score sheet with seven points and five assists in his first career start, and Deng Deng was again solid with five points and eight boards.

The Hawks will make the trip without import guard Justin Robinson, with the ballhandling duties to be shared again by Lachie Dent, Tyler Harvey, and Alex Mudronja.

Keep a Hawk eye on

 George King.

King’s perimeter shooting and defence have been on full display in the opening two rounds, and a test against a deep front court of the Wildcats will be a welcome challenge.

King has been a strike weapon off the bench for Coach Jackomas in the early going, averaging 15 points a game at an extremely efficient clip.

The length of King, Swaka Lo Buluk, and Mathiang has set the tone defensively so far, and they will need to be at their aggressive best at RAC Arena on Saturday evening.

 Opposition Watch

 The Wildcats began their NBL23 season with a comprehensive 87-73 victory over the Brisbane Bullets at home.

Bryce Cotton ensured John Rillies first match as head coach was victorious, leading all scorers with 23, 12 rebounds and six assists.

Luke Travers returns to the Wildcats line-up after an off-season that saw him selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 56th pick in the NBA Draft.

With a deep and talented roster, the Wildcats feature multiple offensive threats, including one-time Hawk Todd Blanchfield, former Breaker Corey Webster, and new import Brady Manek.

The Red Army ensure that the trip west is a hostile one for visiting team, and the Hawks will be keen to test themselves against one of the early title favourites.

How to Watch

Catch all the action from 8pm AEDT on ESPN via Kayo & Foxtel.

Hawks Socials

Follow all the action from Saturday night’s game, on the Hawks social media channels @illawarrahawks and use the hashtag ‘Hawk Nation’ when you share your pics and stories.