Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Adelaide have stormed to a 106-78 belting of Illawarra in a heated NBL clash marred by a huge fourth-quarter brawl.
Hawks big man Makur Maker was ejected with 3:51 remaining at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday, after copping a technical and flagrant foul in a clash with Nick Rakocevic under the 36ers’ basket.
Rakocevic was in the thick of the action, pushing Maker, before being shoved in the chest by Will Hickey, then ending in the arms of Illawarra coach Justin Tatum, while still being pursued by Maker, as the melee spilled into the Hawks’ bench.
Bryce Cotton shook off a quiet start to finish with 22 points, Zylan Cheatham racked up a 21-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, while Rakocevic paired 20 points with 16 boards.
“That was how we want to play,” Adelaide coach Trevor Gleeson said.
“Defensively, get after teams; offensively, keep on sharing the ball and find the open man. We executed great today.”
Tyler Harvey (19 points) was the only Hawk to impress, but only in the first half.
After leading narrowly 22-21 at quarter-time, the Sixers got right on top in the second term, despite Cotton having no impact.
The six-time league MVP was held to just four points on 1-of-9 shooting in the first half, but several of his teammates filled the breach.
By the main break, John Jenkins was 5-of-5 from three-point range, Rakocevic had 10 rebounds, Cheatham seven assists and Matt Kenyon three steals.
Harvey was the only Hawk to fire up, scoring 17 first-half points, as Illawarra’s 11 turnovers paved the way for Adelaide to steam ahead 49-37 at intermission.
Maker, who was outstanding in Illawarra’s win in Cairns 48 hours earlier, had a forgettable outing, racking up four turnovers before finally troubling the scorers, then being booted out.
The Hawks looked increasingly ragged offensively, while the 36ers picked the visitors’ defence apart with ease, Cotton getting on a roll as the margin ballooned to 85-60 at three-quarter time.
The one-way nature of the contest continued in the fiery fourth term, which finished with the 36ers’ 16-year-old Raheim Brown Jr stepping in for his NBL debut and splashing a three on the full-time siren.
“We came out flat,” Illawarra coach Tatum said.
“I wish we could have played a bit smarter and found a way to sustain their runs.”
