Hawks stun defending champs Melbourne United with emphatic win on the road

That's the feather Hawks assistant coach Jacob Jackomas now boasts in his cap after steering Illawarra to a 92-77 road win over the defending champions in the absence of COVID-afflicted Brian Goorjian.

Goorjian was forced to watch on from his lounge room after returning a positive COVID test earlier this week, leaving the Hawks to face the league leaders without the mastercoach.

In the end, his team and offsider had his back, producing their best performance of the season and shooting two wins clear in fourth spot after Adelaide handed South East Melbourne a 100-92 defeat in Sunday's earlier fixture.

"The build-up was pretty disjointed not knowing where Brian was at with his COVID [isolation] days," Jackomas said.

"We were up and down at practice, we had some practices thinking he was going to be able to coach the game.

"Then, when the boys found out he wasn't going to be there, they really stepped it up and decided to move the season on, unfortunately, without him.

"It was all driven by them. All I needed to do was jump around on the sideline, give them their schemes.

"I don't know if it's our best performance, we've had some good ones, I just know that we're trending this way.

"We just needed to do a little bit more, and we needed a little bit more accountability on ourselves, just because Brian wasn't there."

One could only imagine how the famously animated Goorjian was handling things from his own living room, but Jackomas said the six-time championship-winner did not look to over-impose himself from a distance.

"He was involved but it was supportive," Jackomas said.

"I've worked with him for however long it's been and he lets you do your thing, but he's supportive and he makes you feel good about the decisions you're making.

"There was obviously a phone call at halftime, let's not kid ourselves, he was involved in the process. It's his team, we make decisions together.

"We just needed to make them over a Zoom, and he wasn't there [today]. He was involved in the process but also letting us all do our own thing.

"He'll watch it from a far and maybe pick up some things we've done well today that we can keep going through the season."

Criticised all season for their work at the defensive end, the Hawks kept United to under 80 points, forcing 19 turnovers and grabbing 24 of their points in transition.

Antonius Cleveland led the way on that score, producing three steals and two blocks to go with 20 points and seven rebounds to continue a sparkling run of individual form that's turned his team's season.

Duop Reath was also a monster defensively with four blocks and three steals with 15 points and five boards.

Tyler Harvey had an efficient 19 points, while Tim Coenraad twice sparked the Hawks from the bench to finish with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Harvey said the playing group knew they had to find something extra without Goorjian on the floor.

"That's the mentality we had to have all week," Harvey said.

"Jake did a great job of getting us ready. If we slacked at practice, if we needed to pick up the intensity, Jake was the first to step up and tell us.

"He really put it on us to create that energy. That's him trusting us and we trust the coach as well.

"Of course we wanted to have coach's back but we knew Melbourne's a great team and we were going to have to put our best foot forward tonight and I thought we were ready for that task."

Thrown in Xavier Rathan-Mayes eight points, seven assists and five rebounds and it was the Hawks best across-the-board performance of the season.

Jo Lual-Acuil led the hosts with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Caleb Agada had an industrious 10 points and 13 rebounds, but it was a forgettable night for the reigning champs.

They'll get a swift shot at revenge when they head back to John Cain Arena on Saturday, though the Hawks will first turn quick attention to Thursday's home clash against Brisbane in Wollongong.

Lual-Acuil and Reath went to work early, United's star big man grabbing a quick for before Reath fired back with five - including a his first triple.

Coenraad's injection sparked the Hawks, the veteran dropping two threes, while Harvey also had a transition triple as the visitors shot out to a nine-point lead.

It forced Dean Vickerman into a timeout with the Hawks at a healthy 4-5 from long-range. It steadied proceedings, with Shea Ili forcing Cleveland to the bench with his second foul and finishing the and-one to cut the margin back to six at quarter-time.

Goulding fired from deep and had seven points on a 16-11 start to the second term that saw United re-take the lead on Dellavedova's second three.

Coenraad again turned things with his third three sparking an unbroken 12-0 run into the break for a double-digit halftime lead - keeping United to just 16 points for the term.

Harvey had a runner over the backboard and pull-up three to start the third, with Cleveland adding two from the line before sitting with his third foul and the Hawks lead at 14.

It didn't stop him doing damage from the line, taking his tally to 14 before sitting down with his fourth with under a minute left in term.

It came moments after Ariel Hukporti left the game with his fifth, the Hawks taking a 12-point cushion into the final quarter.

Sam Froling had six of his eight points in a single unbroken run to start the fourth, with Cleveland grabbing back-to-back and-ones - the second with a monster alley-oop slam that was the exclamation point on the victory well ahead of time.

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