DrinkWise game preview - Round 13: Wildcats v Hawks

After knocking off the 36ers in Adelaide and the Taipans in Cairns over the past fortnight, the Wildcats will face one of their biggest tests of the season in the in-form Hawks.

The Wildcats’ assignment got even tougher with energetic guard Tai Webster (hamstring) joining import Kristian Doolittle (groin) on the sidelines.

Coach John Rillie said the club was taking a cautious approach with Webster, who is likely to miss six weeks with his latest soft-tissue injury.

“It’s the carry-over effect. What he brings to the team is different, so we want to make sure we have him for the pointy end of the season,” Rillie said.

“We want to be really mindful because he’s had four, maybe five soft tissue injuries this year.

“Giving him peace of mind that he can take his time to get recovered and then make a push for the play-offs which is really important for us. His athleticism and physicality at the defensive end is an important piece for us.”

The 10-8 Wildcats and 10-5 Hawks are one win apiece against each other in NBL25, with Rillie ruing some late errors in their last match-up.

“We had a couple of questionable shots, we had some loose turnovers, and where they’re (the Hawks) maybe the best in the league is capitalising in those moments,” he said.

“First game we held them to six offensive rebounds. If you statistically look at them and they just dominate teams on the offensive glass, it’s really hard to compete with them over 40 minutes, so that’s one of the things we concentrate on.

“We can’t just have two or three possessions where we slip up and they capitalise, because they’re a momentum team like us. 

“At the end of the fourth quarter, they own that, and that’s why they won that (December 6) game.”

Four-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton will be looking to continue his remarkable 40-plus point stretch into a fifth game.

Cotton has amassed 59, 40, 49 and 44 points in his last four appearances, with the Wildcats winning three of those contests.

Game details

Who: Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks

When: 11.30am WST Sunday 22 December

Where: WIN Entertainment Centre

Watch: Live on ESPN (via Kayo or Foxtel), Channel 10 and 10 Play

Opposition watch

Like the Wildcats, the Hawks have won four of their last five matches.

They’re coming off a strong road victory over Melbourne United and have an impressive 4-2 record at home this season.

Import Tyler Harvey is in hot form, hitting 31 points in his last appearance and averaging 17.5 in NBL25.

Big man Sam Froling is another the Wildcats will need to stop if they’re to come away from a win.

Last time they met

The two teams last met earlier this month at RAC Arena, when the Hawks prevailed in a high-scoring shootout.

Bryce Cotton hit a game-high 40 points in the 121-111 loss.

The Hawks went on a 10-0 scoring run late on the way to their ninth win of the season with former Wildcat Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (17 points, three rebounds and three steals) Sam Froling (17 points and seven rebounds) and Darius Days (15 points and 11 rebounds) leading the way.