NBL Cup: Lacklustre Hawks outgunned by Phoenix

The Hawks looked sluggish from the jump giving up 25 first quarter points to slump to their fifth loss in seven outings in the season proper. Creek did the bulk of the damage for the Phoenix, with 25 points and six rebounds, with Ben Moore notching 22 points from the bench and Cam Giddon grabbing 10 of his 19 points in a telling third-quarter burst.

In the absence of star import Keifer Sykes, Kyle Adnam was outstanding for the hosts with 11 points and 10 assists in a double-double, putting heat on the rim that saw the Phoenix make 30 trips the foul-line to the Hawks seven.

The visitors struggled for offensive flow, with sharp-shooters Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup kept to a combined 21 points at 9-25 from the field. Goorjian struggled to find other contributors, with Justin Simon's 13 points and six rebounds the standout effort while Cam Bairstow had five of his 10 points in the final quarter.

It'll leave Goorjian with some issues to address ahead of Thursday's clash with Adelaide where a loss could see them drop out of the top four for the first time this season.

Gliddon had six points early, while Yannick Wetzell had five as the Phoenix went out to an 12-4 lead. Creek had eight for the quarter as the margin went out to 13, with the Hawks committing two back-court violations in five turnovers for the term.

Deng Deng proved a valuable injection from the bench dropping a crucial three and going one of two from the line as the hosts went to quarter-time with a 12-point buffer.

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The Hawks got going from the perimeter, with Deng and Adel both grabbing threes, while Harvey had two from deep on a 17-10 run that cut the margin back to five. It quickly turned back the other way, with few answers for Creek who took his tally to six straight points.

Simon's energy from the bench was key for Goorjian, the DPOY candidate producing a huge block and five points, including his first triple, as the Hawks claimed the quarter bonus point and cut the margin back to eight at halftime.

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It was all the Phoenix in the third, with Creek adding six more points, but it was Gliddon who took full command with 10 points for the term that saw the lead blow out to 20 points on a steal and slam from Wetzell.

It left the margin at 18 points at the final break, though eight points to Bairstow, including two threes, quickly cut it back to 12 and saw Mitchell halt things with a timeout early in the fourth.

It proved merely a glimmer of hope, with six-point cameo from Moore keeping the Phoenix in command with Adnam closing the show, though the Hawks picked up the bonus point for winning the final term