THE Illawarra faithful were treated to an Aaron Brooks masterclass, but it wasn't enough to avoid a 1-3 start to the season against Adelaide on Monday.
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Brooks dropped 31 points in a masterful offensive display and almost pulled his side back from a 10-point deficit late in the fourth, but ultimately saw his side go down 98-92 in a nail-biter.
After being forced to sit with his fourth foul late in the the third term, Brooks returned in the fourth and got his side within five with a tip-in offensive board and nailed a clutch three to get back within four with just over a minute to play.
He made it a two-point ball game with a neat drive to the basket seconds later, setting up a grandstand finish with 54 seconds remaining.
Tim Coenraad had a chance at a go-ahead bucket with a wide open three but it rimmed out, with the Sixers icing the game from the line at the other end.
The foul-line was where the visitors did the most damage sinking 31-40 shots from from the charity stripe. Daniel Johnson was the chief destroyer, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Jerome Randle (15), Ramone Moore (16) and Jack McVeigh the other Sixers in double-digits. Brothers Harry and Sam Froling played out a family duel, with 15 and 12 points respectively.
LaMelo Ball had 15 points and seven assists - one a highlight reel dime for Josh Boone in the first quarter - but shot a wobbly 6-19 from the field, including 1-7 from three.
It leaves the Hawks 1-4 - 1-2 at home - ahead of Thursday's road clash with New Zealand. They then host Perth in Wollongong on Sunday and face a tough battle to avoid a disastrous 1-6 start.
Johnson had six of 10 first-quarter points on a 12-4 run to start the game, with Brooks grabbing all seven points on a 7-2 run that brought the margin back to three.
Moore knocked down the first triple of the contest to halt the run before the Hawks second unit took momentum, with Sam Froling adding four from the bench and Ogilvy contributing three as the Hawks trailed by five at quarter-time.
Brooks had added eight more to finish with 19 points at the half but the visitors continued to do their damage from the foul-line, going 15-19 from the stripe to lead 56-49 at the main break.
Kevin White did what Kevin White does in the third drawing an offensive and an unsportsmanlike foul from Brooks. Ironically, it was the type of play that once endeared him to the Hawks faithful.
It drew boos on this occasion, particularly when Brooks picked up fourth personal - and other offensive foul on Brendan Teys.
It forced him to sit with a minute to play in the third term. It only briefly dented his impact as he returned to mount a rear-guard action, but it Johnson who ultimately had the final say from the line.