The Illawarra Hawks got the better of an undermanned South East Melbourne Phoenix the last time the two sides met.
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Phoenix stars Mitch Creek (24 points) and Gary Browne (22 points) nevertheless were near unstoppable despite the Hawks winning 113-106 at WIN Entertainment Stadium on October 7.
Since then though the Nix have won seven of their last 11 games and will be near full-strength when they take on the Hawks at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday from 5.30pm.
New import Abdel Nader is also expected to suit-up for the Mike Kelly-coached outfit for the first time on Saturday.
The Hawks head into the game in good form, having won two of their last three games, and refreshed, having not played since a commanding 100-82 victory over the Perth Wildcats eight days ago.
It's a different story for South East who were battered, bruised and beaten handsomely by throwdown rivals Melbourne United on Thursday night.
Their star man Creek also limped off late in the game and has been ruled out tonight, while Dan Grida is sidelined with an ankle problem, replaced by Biwali Bayles.
Hawks big man Sam Froling said it was vitally important his team backed up their great defensive display against the Perth Wildcats with a similar showing against the 8-7 Phoenix.
"It was huge for us to beat such a great team such as Perth and it gives us confidence moving forward," he said.
"[The defensive display] was huge. That is what is going to win us games.
"It's a credit to the guys like Wani [Swaka Lo Buluk] and Davo [ Will Hickey} who had some really good minutes on [Bryce Cotton]. They were relentless and not letting him get anything easy. it really worked for us."
Froling added another resilient, defensive performance was needed for the Hawks to improve their 4-8 win/loss record and secure two wins on the bounce for the first time in almost two years.
"They've got a number of great players, but they present a bit of a different challenge to what Perth did," he said. "They got big guys that are massive threats like Alan Williams.
We are going to have to produce strong team defence and stick to our stuff and come out with a lot of energy, like we did in that first quarter against Perth."
Froling, who led the Hawks in scoring against the Wildcats, with 21 points, added it would be "huge" for the Hawks to end a 616-day wait for back-to-back victories.
"We are 2-1 right now under JT and if we can get two in a row, who knows what can happen."
This view was shared by team-mate Gary Clark, who said the Hawks were still trying to become a "money team" and it would be huge if Illawarra could get over the hump against the Phoenix and win back-to-back games.
"It's huge if we can do it. It makes that transition of a winning program. Not being satisfied with one game win but getting two, and making teams in the league respect us a little bit more, because we are not the same Hawks," he said.
Clark added the Hawks would have to step up their defensive intensity against South East, especially inside the paint against their big men Williams and Creek.
"Their biggest threat is definitely their inside game. Being able to contain their big guys, collectively guarding them, not just one guy guarding them, the whole team being able to be in place to support the big fella inside, myself with Mitch, and everyone else rebounding, creating actions to get those guys to play defence, and not just having to guard them the entire game, actually making them guard too."