The former NBL MVP was crucial again Illawarra’s impressive 98-88 victory over the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday night.

Clarke had a game-high 24 points from an efficient 9-12 attempts.

It was the fifth straight contest he has scored 20 or more points in a match, with all five coming since he was moved out of the starting line-up into the second unit.

After a slow start to the NBL campaign, the masterstroke move has seen him average 23.4 points per game over the five matches. 

Hawks coach Rob Beveridge has been delighted to see his star man performing to his potential.

"He is a big time player for us," Beveridge said.

"We all started slow at the beginning of the season and Rot has found his groove now.

"He is coming in off the bench and still playing a lot of minutes. The great thing about him is he is so unselfish.

"He is having great defenders chasing him and he is absorbing that pressure. He is giving it up for others as well. His probably last six or seven games have been outstanding."

Clarke felt his form was a product of Illawarra’s solid team performances.

"My teammates are doing a great job of setting me up,” he said.

"I am playing well but it is not about me. We made a pact to each other as a team. We started off slow but we wanted to get something going in the second half of the season.”