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Thursday Night Lights – Final 4 Preview Between Hawks And Rams

A big preview to the Final 4 this week on Thursday Night Lights when the Hawks host the Rams and though both teams have named full-strength squads, expect to see a lot of freelance basketball as both teams keep their cards close to their chest ahead of next week's clash at Horncastle Arena.

Follow all the Thursday Night Lights action on SKY Sports and Prime TV from 7:30pm.

 

Here's our 10 Thursday Night Lights Talking Points.

1. EJ Singler - the star Hawks import has been named, but remains questionable as he recovers from a minor injury. Given the TAB MVP votes leader isn't heading to Tasmania for Saturday night's game, coach Zico Coronel will be keen to get his star on court and playing some minutes in this game.
2. Zico Coronel - the Hawks coach will keep his head down and no doubt brush of stinging criticism directed towards him and the Hawks by Huskies coach Anthony Stewart. Hearing the news that Coronel would join his five starters and not travel to Tasmania this weekend to play the Huskies, his Aussie counterpart labelled Coronel's decision "disgraceful", going on to say "I hope they get rolled by the Rams first round (of the finals). That’d be great on my behalf. I’d like to see the Hawks go down and pay a little bit of a penalty for what they’re doing to us right now."
3. Isaiah Wilkins - the classy defender was back in action last week after missing a few weeks and will now have his feet well and truly back underneath him. This clash against a quality team will ensure he is back at full match fitness and ready for next week.
4. Mind Games - make no mistake, Mick Downer (Rams) and Zico Coronel (Hawks) will be very relaxed tonight and be asking their players to do the same. There might be a very slight hint of a look at this or a look at that, but there is zero chance either team will be showing all their cards. Zero!
5. The Minutes Debate - how long will the respective starters of each team play for? It's a great debate. You need to give them enough of a run to build up a decent sweat, but you don't want to overdo it. Our guess - expect the majority of starters to play 16-22 minutes.
6. The NBL Trophy - keep an eye out for it on the broadcast because the NBL Trophy will be at the game. You can be assured players and coaches from both teams will also notice the presence of the 38-year old prize that is up for grabs next weekend at the Final 4.
7. The MVP Race - EJ Singler, Brandon Bowman and Cam Gliddon are all safely inside the top 10 vote-getters and will be in the race for the TAB MVP Award, however Mike Karena is sitting in 10th and hanging onto a spot. With a large chasing pack he'll need some votes tonight to stay in there.
8. Triples Galore - we don't want to go too early with this one, but what are the chances we see both teams collectively put up more than 70 three-point attempts? Our prediction is we are going to see a lot of long-range shooting.
9. The Fans - one question for those Hawks and Rams fans who haven't secured their tickets to the Final 4 yet - WHY NOT? This year's Final 4 promises to be massive with five games on offer, the World Cup on show and tickets from just $12. Our advice - BOOK THEM RIGHT NOW! Click HERE.
10. Bruise Free - we'll leave this one for last, but keep your eyes peeled for it. With big games coming up next week you are bound to see a lot of bruise-free basketball in this game. What does this mean? Put simply, there won't be a lot of contact as all players keep themselves primed and away from any potential knocks or injuries a week out from the Final 4.