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Find your local frequencyKings import shines as Sydney demolish Hawks in NBL
Ed Jackson, AAP •  October 23rd, 2026 12:55 am
Kings import Andrew Carr went close to notching a piece of NBL history on Thursday night | Photo: Martin Keep/AAP
Sydney import Andrew Carr has narrowly missed out on an NBL rebounding slice of history in a star display in the Kings' 108-82 demolition of struggling Illawarra.
Carr finished with 20 rebounds - just two short of the record in the NBL's 40-minute era - as well as 16 points as the Kings were simply too good for the Hawks at WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong.
The 24-year-old American looked set to match or better Colton Iverson's 40-minute era record of 22 rebounds before he was subbed out late in the 26-point win.
Kings coach Brian Goorjian admitted after the match he was unaware Carr was chasing history when he made the call, but praised the impact of the first-year NBL recruit off the bench for his team.
"If a guy has an opportunity to do that, I'd try to throw a little fertiliser on it but I had no idea," Goorjian said.
"We see it at practice. Not only have we got a great locker room guy and team guy, he's a really good basketball player and multi-skilled - can guard multiple positions, can make decisions with the dribble ... we're pretty fortunate there.
"We've been getting better, and he's been a big reason for that."
Carr's display wasn't the only eye-catching one for the Kings, with Kendric Davis posting a double-double of his own with 23 points and 14 assists, while Torrey Craig notched 22 including three triples.
Kendric Davis was on fire for the Kings against the Hawks, with 23 points and 14 assists | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Goorjian was confident a knock to Xavier Cooks that briefly forced the Australia international to the bench was nothing more than a corky.
The 26-point loss leaves the Hawks bottom of the ladder with just two wins from nine matches.
An 11-point run by the Kings before halftime put the Hawks on the back foot before a horror third quarter sealed the contest as the Kings surged to an unbeatable 30-point lead.
Hawks head coach Justin Tatum accused his team of going "rogue" on offence and said Illawarra had simply failed to provide the contest needed.
"I've got guys at times that feel that they ... haven't touched the ball in a while and would like to go get a shot up instead of trusting the offence and making Sydney work on the defensive end," he said.
"Moving the ball is a must against a team like this and, at times, we got flat in one-on-ones."
Makur Maker finished with 24 points to lead the Hawks scorers while Tyler Harvey had 17 points - 15 of which came in the first quarter - but a return of four points by Milton Doyle and just two from fellow import Kelan Martin would be a worry for Tatum and his staff.
"It's just a process, and unfortunately it's a tough one for us right now being two and seven," Tatum said.
"But I still have 1000 per cent faith in this group to be able to bounce back Saturday."
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