NBL: Hawks stay top of table after smashing Bullets

The Illawarra have strolled to a clinical NBL 121-87 belt in Brisbane, but their victory was soured by a hamstring injury to import Darius Days.

Days damaged his left hamstring diving for a loose ball midway through the first quarter of Monday’s clash at Wollongong’s WIN Entertainment Centre, where he had six points in less than two minutes.

However, the injury had no impact on the game as the Hawks were completely untouched, going 35-20 in the first quarter and 35-19 in the third as they strengthened their grip on first place.

Sam Froling (17 points) had an even game, with six players in double figures and two more scoring nine.

Illawarra also notched a 40-minute record 37 assists – led by Trey Kells’ 11 – to just six turnovers.

Keandre Cook (19 points) top scored for the beaten Bullets, who were already missing seven players, dealt a massive blow before the game when their best player Casey Prather failed a fitness test and sat out with an ankle injury.

Great Tohi Smith-Milner sent another scare through the Brisbane camp when he slowly walked away early for treatment on his right foot before returning to the field.

Illawarra hit 15-of-20 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from three-point range in the opening period, before Adams paced a brief Bullets revival to cut the margin to 39-35 in the second.

It was never very close again.

Peatling rattled off 11 points in a span of five minutes to tie the quarter at 21-all and put the Hawks ahead 56-41 at halftime.

Illawarra continued to cut Brisbane to shreds in the third period, with Froling scoring at will in the paint and Will Hickey wreaking havoc on both ends.

The margin swelled to 42 points when the Hawks emptied their bench in the fourth, using 12 of their 13 players to hit the scoreboard.