Friday 19 November, North Shore Events Centre, 7:30pm (local)
 
Past Three Head-To-Head 
Breakers 88-60 Hawks - February 4, 2010
Hawks 83-78 Breakers - January 6, 2010
Breakers 91-93 Hawks - December 3, 2009
 
Season Series 
First Game
 
Current Standings 
Breakers (5-1), Hawks (5-1)
 
A jaw-dropping clash between the two top teams on the NBL standings opens Round 6 of NBL action when the Wollongong Hawks take their impressive road record across the Tasman as they clash with the New Zealand Breakers, with the winner becoming the sole occupant of top spot.
 
The Breakers were humbled big time over the weekend, when they got smacked around and destroyed by the Perth Wildcats by 40 points, taking a little bit of the shine off their superb effort in Adelaide last Friday night when they defeated the 36ers, in what was a see-sawing weekend for NZ team as they played without Kirk Penney.
 
Penney will be back on court for the Breakers in this match as they return to their home venue where they are currently undefeated from two games this season and continue to pose a daunting task for opposition sides crossing the sea.
 
Speaking ahead of the Breakers/Hawks clash, NZ head coach Andrej Lemanis believes his team needs to stop the dribble penetration.

"The Hawks will present a good challenge," Lemanis said.

"In Gary Irvin and Glenn Saville they have two guys who create havoc off the dribble; helped by the fact the other guys on the floor shoot the ball well."

"How well we manage this will go some way to deciding the outcome of the game. It is great at any time of the season to go into a top of the table clash with another side in good form as the Hawks clearly are, it should be a good game for the fans."
 
The Hawks, who currently reside in the penthouse, are riding a three-game winning streak and are also expected to have Dave Gruber back on the floor for the first time since the season opener.
 
The Hawks have been exceptional this season, with Oscar Forman a stand-out. But he's been aided by a complete team package that has kept Geordie McLeod’s troops marching onwards, although they are constantly told they shouldn’t be where they are.
 
Nothing whets the appetite more than a clash between teams who sit in the top two perches, and this game is set to deliver in spades with a plethora of aces on show for both teams.
 
Check out the Ervin and Kevin Braswell match-up, two players bringing their A+ game every night this season.
 
The game will be a prelude on oneHD to the Melbourne Tigers and Perth Wildcats clash, so settle in for two hours of Casey Frank dropping ‘Frankisms’ all through the game.