Oscar Forman scored 24 points to lead the Illawarra Hawks to a 87-75 NBL win over the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday.
The Kings held a 67-60 lead in the final quarter before being shot down by their NSW rivals. Sydney have now lost seven of their past 10 games.
Illawarra's win was their first over the Kings in four meetings this season.
AJ Ogilvy (16 points) and Marvelle Harris (13) also performed well for the Hawks, while Josh Powell (21) and Jason Cadee (15) were Sydney's best.
The Kings were without two-time Olympian Brad Newley, who missed the game due to a toe injury.
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Harris scored seven points in the opening minutes to give the Hawks a 16-13 lead.
The Kings tied the game at 16-all before Illawarra grabbed the momentum and built a 23-17 quarter-time lead.
The Hawks stretched the margin to eight midway through the second period before a bruising Powell sparked a revival.
Powell scored 10 points in the quarter and gave the home team just their second lead of the game at 38-37 with 45 seconds remaining in the half.
The Hawks had the final say, with veteran sharpshooter Forman sinking a three-pointer and free throw for a 41-38 halftime lead.
Powell had 14 points for the half, while Harris led Illawarra with 11, despite making just four-of-eight free throws.
Forman scored a quickfire eight points in the third period and Illawarra were in control with a 10-point lead.
But the Kings found new life, outscoring their opponents 17-2 in a four-minute stretch to take a 63-58 lead into the final quarter.
The Hawks were too good when it counted, though, and chalked up their 10th win of the season to remain in second spot on the NBL ladder.
