Monday’s 95-69 flogging at Hisense Arena was a new low for the struggling Kings and – perhaps ominously for the Hawks – saw United’s ‘big four’ play themselves into red-hot form.

Star guard Chris Goulding starred with 23 points at 7-11 from three-point range, while Casey Prather had 21, including a perfect 3-3 from the perimeter.

Big man Josh Boone had 17 points and 17 rebounds with Casper Ware chiming in with 15 points and seven assists, ensuring they’ll head to the WEC brimming with confidence.

Goulding’s explosion snapped an early-season form slump and brought United’s other big names to life, but Hawks skipper Kevin White is confident his side can put the clamp on the star quartet. 

“Goulding played really well, he probably hadn’t played that way since last season,” White said.

“Those [four] guys are going to have their ups and downs like every other player in the league. They’re great front-runners, Prather gets going, Goulding gets going, they’re having fun and they’re enjoying themselves.

“They’re really good when they’re like that but when you can put them on the back foot that’s when they struggle a little bit. If we can build that pressure defensively and put them on the back foot early, we can get it done.

“It’s about locking into our defensive mindset and realising that’s what creates our offence. When we knuckle down and get stops that’s when the game flows for us.”

The Hawks suffered their own heavy defeat to United in round nine without big-name duo AJ Ogilvy and Demetrius Conger, but White said the return of the star duo will not be an automatic fix.

 “At the end of the day people need to step up other guys are out,” White said.

“Whether we’ve got AJ and Meech on the floor or not, we believe this group can get it done, but we need to buy-in collectively. 

“We saw it as a free shot going into it in Melbourne and we just didn’t execute down the stretch. It’s about sticking 100 per cent to the game plan the coaches have put in place for us.

“If you go in second-guessing that, that’s when the likes of Goulding and Prather can go off.

“If we can go in and buy into what Bevo [Rob Beveridge] wants to get done, and believe in that, we’ll do well.”