7
Nov
2026
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Zylan Cheatham posts first NBL27 triple-double in Hawks rout
Adelaide 36ers’ Zylan Cheatham reacts during their Round 8 NBL27 clash against the Illawarra Hawks at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on November 7, 2026. Photo: Sarah Reed/Getty Images.
Highlights
Cheatham had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, then a 16-year-old hit a three on NBL debut.
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36ers star Zylan Cheatham ($339,500) posted the first triple-double of NBL27, and it simply couldn’t be overshadowed by the ugly fourth-quarter melee that marred the 36ers' brutal 106-78 beatdown of the Illawarra Hawks in Round 8 of NBL27 in Adelaide on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
The 30-year-old American had 21 points, 12 rebounds (five offensive), 11 assists, and two steals on 8-for-12 shooting, with no turnovers in 31 minutes.
"(Trevor Gleeson) told me before the game, 'We just need you to be aggressive, be yourself',” Cheatham said.
"I broke down a lot of film, and obviously I'm pretty critical of myself and how I've been playing, and some of the areas that I could be a little bit more aggressive.
"I took all that into account. My teammates did a really good job playing off me.
"It was a good win.
"I think a system was put in place and an understanding of what I can bring to this team and how it can impact winning.
"I think it's just a flow thing. I don't think it's really like, 'Z is in this spot to do that’.
"It's just a connection with the guys. Obviously, being a second-year guy, me and Bryce (Cotton) have got a pretty good two-man action going.
"The system allows me to playmake in different situations. That's the beauty of basketball. It takes a little bit of time.
"People were very critical in my first couple of games, but I knew trusting the system, and as I was going to keep getting better and keep getting more reps at it, that I was going to find spots to not only be aggressive for myself, but for my teammates.
"It's a work in progress, but tonight was definitely a step in the right direction.
"It doesn't hurt to get on the glass and get some easy ones.
"It's just a complete game by the Sixers, I would say."
The blowout allowed head coach Gleeson to put 16-year-old Raheim Brown Jr ($58,500), known as RJ, into the game with 1:13 to go. It was his first minutes in the NBL, and it was a fairy tale: the West Adelaide Bearcats junior grabbed a board and took the ball the length of the floor to hit an off-balance three as the clock expired.
"I couldn't imagine being 16 years old,” Cheatham said.
“What I was doing at 16 years old, I just couldn't imagine being in the NBL right now.
"Unbelievable kid. Comes from an unbelievable family.
"Proud is an understatement. He's like a little brother that you just see blooming every day and getting better.
"He comes in with such a good mentality every day. It was great for Trev to finally give him some minutes.
Cheatham: "I love RJ. Very proud of him."
Despite Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) instigating the scuffle that led to the ejection of Illawarra big man Makur Maker ($99,800), Cheatham offered only praise for his teammate.
"Nick is the life of the team. He's the spark to the team,” Cheatham said.
"It's a joy to have a big that has hands like that and is as skilled as he is.
"He bails us out of a lot of situations. We're able to just throw him the ball, and he gets to a bucket or gets fouled.
"He's a very critical piece to what we do. He slows the game down when we need it.
"The way he's rebounding the ball is just a joy to have.
"Definitely want to up the standard with him, and I don't want him to get comfortable at all.
"I'm proud of him, but we've got a lot of work to do."
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The Hawks, coming off two straight wins, kept it close in the first quarter (22-21), but the 36ers put the pedal to the metal in the second and third, outscoring the visitors 63-39 to lead by 32 with 3:38 left in the fourth.
“We came out flat,” Hawks head coach Justin Tatum said.
“Kind of expected a little bit, playing just 48 hours ago. We understood that our guys were going to need a little pick-me-up today, but I wish we would just play a little bit smarter and find a way to sustain their runs a little bit.
“We came out a little bit flat, and Adelaide had been sitting a week preparing. Clearly, off a loss against Brisbane, they were motivated. They found a way to get the win.”
The 36ers moved to 6-6 and into fourth while the Hawks fell to 4-9 and last.
What you need to know
- The Adelaide 36ers beat the Illawarra Hawks 106-78 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Round 8 of NBL27 on Saturday, November 7, 2026, moving to 6-6 and ending Illawarra's two-game winning streak at 4-9.
- Adelaide won all four quarters, 22-21, 27-16, 36-23 and 21-18, were never behind or level after Kelan Martin tied it 11-11 midway through the first, and led by as many as 32.
- Zylan Cheatham ($339,500) had a triple-double of 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists on 8-from-12 with no turnovers, and Tyler Harvey ($271,700) led Illawarra with 19 on 8-from-11.
- Adelaide broke it open in the third quarter, shooting 12-from-16 from the field and 9-from-9 at the line to win it 36-23 and lead 85-60.
- Adelaide had 30 assists and eight turnovers; Illawarra had 20 assists and 17 turnovers, and went to the line 16 times to Adelaide's 28.
Milestones
- Raheim Brown Jr ($58,500) played his first NBL minutes, getting on for the last 1:13, then took a defensive rebound with eight seconds left and hit a pull-up three with one second on the clock for the final points of the night.
- Cheatham's triple-double is the only one in the 56 NBL27 games completed so far.
- Next up: Cheatham is 29 points short of 1,000 NBL points, Milton Doyle six games short of 150, Corey Webster seven games short of 300 and Sam Froling 30 rebounds short of 1,500.
Adelaide 36ers
- Bryce Cotton ($473,900) top-scored with 22 points and four assists on 5-from-15, including 10-from-11 at the line, in 36 minutes.
- Zylan Cheatham had 21 points, 12 rebounds (five offensive), 11 assists and two steals on 8-from-12, without a turnover in 31 minutes.
- Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) had 20 points, 16 rebounds (seven offensive) and six assists on 7-from-13, including 6-from-8 at the line.
- John Jenkins III ($152,100) scored 17 off the bench on 6-from-14, including 5-from-8 from three, and all five threes came in the first half, four of them in the second quarter.
- Jacob Rigoni ($69,000) scored eight off the bench on 3-from-4, including 2-from-3 from three, in 13 minutes.
- Matt Kenyon ($69,000) had six points, three assists and three steals on 2-from-7, including 2-from-5 from three.
- Raheim Brown Jr scored three in 1:13, his first NBL minutes, with a defensive rebound and a three with a second left that made it 106-78.
- Adelaide shot 35-from-76 from the field, 14-from-29 from three and 22-from-28 at the line, with 45 rebounds, 30 assists and eight turnovers.
Illawarra Hawks
- Tyler Harvey top-scored with 19 points and five rebounds on 8-from-11, including 2-from-4 from three, but 17 of them came in the first half.
- Kelan Martin ($277,000) scored 12 off the bench on 4-from-10, including 2-from-5 from three.
- William Hickey ($331,600) had a game-high 12 assists off the bench, with six points on 3-from-8 and three turnovers.
- Wani Swaka Lo Buluk ($145,200) scored eight on 3-from-6, including 2-from-4 from three.
- Makur Maker ($99,800) scored seven on 2-from-7 and 3-from-4 at the line, with four turnovers and four fouls, and Illawarra were -23 in his 19 minutes.
- Todd Blanchfield ($123,800) had a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks off the bench, with five points on 1-from-5.
- Milton Doyle ($274,700) scored three on 1-from-4 in 26 minutes, with four assists and two turnovers.
- Illawarra shot 29-from-67 from the field, 9-from-31 from three and 11-from-16 at the line, with 39 rebounds, 20 assists and 17 turnovers.
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