Illawarra have taken Sydney's best punch before sending their NSW rivals to the canvas and claiming a 102-83 triumph in a bruising NBL battle.
In a further blow for the Kings, centre Julian Khazzouh joined star import Josh Childress on the club's casualty list after breaking down with a serious knee injury early in Friday night's second half at WIN Entertainment Centre.
The Hawks were down by 10 in the first quarter before resorting to aggressive defence to take control over the final three periods.
Illawarra's Big Three of Kevin Lisch (23 points), Kirk Penney (21) and AJ Ogilvy (17) starred for the home side, while Marcus Thornton, Tom Garlepp and Rhys Carter had 15 apiece for Sydney.
The Hawks also received a big lift from the bench, with former Kings forward Cody Ellis and Tim Coenraad combining for 21 points.
"Its always nice to get a win against your old club," Ellis said.
"The coaches have been telling me to be aggressive and Ive tried to do that."
Illawarra's win was their fifth in their past six games, boosting their record to 9-7 heading into Sunday's battle with the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland.
Illawarra were down 31-29 at quarter time before taking a 58-51 lead into halftime.
They got the lead into double digits in the third quarter and were never seriously troubled again.
Kings coach Joe Connelly chalked up his maiden victory with a 96-81 upset of Melbourne United on Wednesday night before Illawarra ruined his plans for a perfect week.
The Hawks have prevailed in all three of their meetings with the big-city boys, winning by an average of 13 points.
The Kings (4-13) remain in last spot and have eight days to prepare for a December 27 home clash with the Breakers - Sydney's first at the State Sports Centre after the club ended 28 years of residency at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last week.
Share
