It’s been a month since the Illawarra Hawks last dropped a game, but Justin Tatum’s team have long memories.

Before the Hawks’ current five-game winning streak, it was the South East Melbourne Phoenix that took them down on November 30, a game Tatum says helped them learn a lot. 

Now, two of the form teams in the competition face off again on New Year’s Eve, with plenty on the line.

“When we lost that game, we saw so many correctable flaws,” Tatum told The Illawarra Mercury.

“We’re excited about the matchup. It’s not about trying to get revenge or anything; it’s just about let’s keep getting better.”
 
The Phoenix have won four of their last five games and are looking to consolidate a top six spot.

With the likes of Nathan Sobey and Derrick Walton Jr back in peak form, they present a daunting challenge for Tatum and his men. 

“They have a lot of skilled players, Sobey, Matt Hurt, Derrick Walton Jr, [Joe] Wieskamp, guys like that who can make threes, but also drive down the lane and hurt you in other ways,” he said.

“They’re a tough guard; we got to make sure we are on top of our game and focus on getting the ball in the hands of players who can’t hurt us as much.”

The Hawks are now three games clear on top of the NBL standings, with another win at home sure to consolidate their status as championship favourites.

It looms as a thrilling clash at the WIN Entertainment Centre, live on ESPN from 5.30pm AEDT on Tuesday.