NBL26 Round 9

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Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings NBL26 Round 9 Tips - Points on offer in battle of the bigs

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Wed 12 Nov 2025 09:53

Jeremy Darke 12 Nov 2025

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Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings expert predictions for Sunday’s Round 9 NBL matchup
Tip-off is at 2:30 PM AEDT at WIN Entertainment Centre
Illawarra Hawks have a 6-game winning streak against Sydney Kings.
JaVale McGee and Dave Hickey are key players for the Hawks.

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Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings NBL26 Round 9 Tips

Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings NBL25 Round 9 Expert Tips

Both the Illawarra and Sydney come into this match with momentum after stringing together some wins, however 6 straight victories for the Hawks over the Kings is a trend too strong to ignore.

Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings NBL25 Round 9 Expert Tips
Head to Head
Illawarra Hawks Form & Team News
Sydney Kings Form & Team News
Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings Frequently Asked Questions

Neither the Kings nor the Hawks have impressed this season, but both appear to be on a run with their form curve spiking upward. With a line of just two points which is a sign of home court advantage to Illawarra, this is a tough one to call but I am predicting that it will be the battle between Javale McGee and Tim Soares that will be the difference and the upper hand is definitely on the side of Hawks.

Since Davo Hickey’s return the Hawks offence has been something different and with the Boomer feeding his NBA Giant Mcgee and averaging a whisker away from a triple-double in his last three games, he will ensure that his big man gets his opportunities while also taking his own and doing the hard yards under the basket.

This one is likely to be a point explosion with McGee leading the charge for Illawarra with his third consecutive 25+ point game, while Hickey will hit the 8+ assists mark.

Illawarra have won their last 6 matches against Sydney
Sydney average 91.4 points per game while Illawarra have scored 107 points in each of their last 2 games.
Will Hickey is averaging 9 assists in his last 3 games.
JaVale McGee is averaging 32.5 points in his last 2 games.

Head to Head

Last 5 Match Results

Date	Home Team	Score	Line	Total Points
07/02/2025	ILL	ILL 95-75	ILL -4.0	U 193.5
25/12/2024	SYD	ILL 111-108	ILL -1.5	O 189.5
16/11/2024	ILL	ILL 86-79	ILL -2.0	U 181.5
29/09/2024	SYD	ILL 96-89	ILL +5.5	U 191.0
11/02/2024	SYD	ILL 106-95	ILL +4.5	O 185.5

Offensive & Defensive Rankings

ILL Off	Rank	Stat	Rank	SYD Def
89.7	5	PPG	4	85.5
43.9	2	RPG	4	41
46.4%	2	FG%	7	45.3%
32.3%	5	3P%	6	32.5%
14.2	10	TOV	3	12.3

ILL Def	Rank	Stat	Rank	SYD Off
96.4	10	PPG	3	91.4
42.1	7	RPG	6	42
44.4%	3	FG%	4	45.6%
33.2%	8	3P%	4	32.6%
10	9	TOV	1	8.1

Illawarra Hawks Form & Team News

The reigning champs looked down and out but 2 consecutive wins and 3 in the last five have put them back in the game with another short run putting them back in contention again.

The key to their latest success is their return of their spiritual leader ‘Davo’ Hickey who registered the first triple-double of NBL26 in Illawarra’s 107-90 victory over Cairns, after flirting with the statline in the two matches prior. Hickey scored 19 points and tallied 12 rebounds and 12 assists against the Taipans, giving him averages of 19 points, 9.33 rebounds and 9 assists in his last 3 games.

Since Hickey’s return the Hawks defence has still been questionable, however, the Boomer has unlocked the offence of the Hawks. Illawarra have scored over 100 points in two consecutive matches after tallying triple figures in just one of their first 6 matches without Hickey in the lineup.

Sydney Kings Form & Team News

The Kings have finally found some rhythm and consistency in their game that has them on a three-game run with victories over New Zealand, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The biggest difference has been defensively holding both the Breakers and Bullets to under 80 points while keeping United under their scoring average as well. The Kings have been disciplined in the paint giving away few free throws to their opponents making them work for their points.

While Kendric Davis leads the Kings in scoring with an average of 23.1 points per game, the increase in offence from Xavier Cooks has been the difference with the former Washington Wizard averaging 19.66 points in his last 3 matches compared with a 10.62 points per game he averaged in his first 8 matches of the season. Cookes has also been more dominant on the boards, registering a double double in 2 of his last 3 matches with 31 rebounds total in that span.

Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings start?

Tip-off between Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings is at 2:30 PM AEDT, Sunday, November 16

What channel is Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings on?

You can watch Illawarra Hawks vs Sydney Kings on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.

Verdict

Illawarra Hawks v Sydney Kings

Points will be on offer in this tight battle with the match total going over 183.5 points and JaVale McGee scoring 25+. Dave Hickey will register 8+ assists and the Hawks will cover as 2-point favourites.

Illawarra -2.0

Handicap/Line

$1.93 - 2 Units

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Will Hickey

8+ Assists

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JaVale McGee

25+ Points

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