THE ACTION rolls on in the National Basketball League (NBL) tonight for Round 12 of the 2025/26 season, with a matchup between the Illawarra Hawks and the Brisbane Bullets holding plenty of ramifications for both sides.
Following last night’s Ignite Cup clash between the SEM Phoenix and the Tasmania JackJumpers, which saw the latter claim an upset win in Gippsland, the Hawks will host the Bullets at WIN Entertainment Centre, with both teams eager to get back on the winners’ list following disappointing performances.
Although the reigning champions will have home court advantage, the form of both teams has fluctuated throughout the fixture, and the Bullets are more than capable of getting the job done on their day, so it looms as an intriguing matchup.
Illawarra Hawks vs. Brisbane Bullets
WIN Entertainment Centre
Thursday, December 11 @ 7:30pm
The Hawks have been impressive at times throughout their title defence, albeit without the consistency to be among the contenders after 11 rounds of the fixture. Coming into the game, Illawarra sits in eighth place with a record of five wins and 10 losses, falling behind the eight ball as the likes of the Adelaide 36ers, Melbourne United and the Phoenix break further clear of the rest of the competition past the midway point of the season.
The Hawks were able to pull off a gutsy win over the Phoenix to kick off their two outings in Round 11, but fell to the bottom-placed Cairns Taipans in what was their worst performance of NBL26. Illawarra had the best offence in the competition last year, scoring over 100 points per game, but now rank sixth in the NBL for points per game at 89.6. The Hawks will undoubtedly need to get their offence moving and change something up if they are to improve on last week’s showing.
Guard Tyler Harvey has been an integral part of the Hawks’ offence for the past five years, but is down on last year’s scoring average. On his day, Harvey is nearly unstoppable when scoring the ball, especially when finding space in the lane and putting up a signature floater close to the basket, so if the Hawks can execute actions that free him up to do so, it will help Illawarra put up a winning score.
Tyler Harvey could be the catalyst for Illawarra’s offensive improvement. Photo: via NBL
The Bullets sit slightly below the Hawks on the ladder with five wins and 11 losses to their name, which puts them in ninth spot in the standings. Another team in danger of being eliminated from postseason contention in the coming weeks, Brisbane will be looking to turn its form around with a rejuvenated list for the second half of the season.
The Bullets enter the match on a four-game losing streak, having been convincingly bested by the Sixers last weekend. Brisbane actually ranks inside the top three for field goal percentage, but the Bullets are the worst in the NBL at three-point shooting efficiency, making just 30 percent of their attempts from long range, which is an area they will need to improve upon if they are to turn their season around.
One positive for the team coming into the match is the looming return of import Javon Freeman-Liberty, who is finally injected into the lineup tonight. The import averaged 19 points, 6.5 rebounds and five assists per game across his first two outings with the team at the start of the season, but returned to the United States due to personal reasons. He was announced to be re-joining the team after the international break, but missed last week due to an illness. Needless to say, the talented scorer will be a welcome addition tonight.
