Jason Collins
Dailysports's expert
Illawarra Hawks
Sydney Kings
On February 7, Illawarra Hawks - Sydney Kings will meet in the NBL. I offer my betting option on this unpredictable battle, will the Kings be able to wash out the score this season?
Illawarra Hawks
The regular season is going well for Illawarra Hawks, the club is at the top of the standings, where they will try to stay. The closest pursuer is only a point behind, so it's definitely too early to relax.
In the last game Hawks defeated New Zealand Breakers 96:82, giving a good first and third quarters, Tyler Harvey had a great game, he scored 29 points. There will be no problems with getting into the playoffs, the main thing is to do it from a position not lower than the second. The team is in good shape, as they won 4 matches out of the last five.
Sydney Kings
After 28 games Sydney with the indicator of 16 victories, settled on the fifth line of the regular championship. The gap from the seventh impassable place is four wins, so the margin of safety here is good.
In their last match King's lost on their parquet Perth with a score of 97:104, than missed the opportunity to rise to third place in the regular championship. For Sydney, this defeat was the second straight, although the team may already be thinking about the knockout rounds.
Facts about the match
- Illawarra plays well on its parquet, having won 9 victories in 13 confrontations.
- Sydney have won 9 out of 14 away meetings this season.
- Quotes for this match are as follows: P1 - 1.39, P2 - 2.98.
Key player
All chances to become the hero of the meeting has Jailen Adams from Kings, he is unstable, but he averages 18 points, with six goal assists.
H2H
Rivalries crossed three times in the current season, in all cases Illawarra won, once at home and twice away, although the difference in the score was not more than 7 points.
Prediction
In such a confrontation, the hosts are considered favorites, although Kings will surely come for a win. I think the guests will be able to give a fight to the leader of the regular season, as it was in previous meetings this season. A win for Sydney with +7.5 points looks good here.
