The fallout from Adelaide's 106–78 win over Illawarra has been settled without a player missing the next game. All three players charged after Saturday's fourth-quarter confrontation have accepted early guilty pleas, leaving the Hawks and 36ers free to turn their attention to a demanding Round 9. William Hickey's decision is the significant selection detail: his striking charge carried a one-game suspension as the base penalty, but the accepted $1,550 fine means he avoids that ban.
The incident came with 3:51 left in the 7 November contest, long after Adelaide had taken command. Nick Rakocevic and Makur Maker became involved under the basket, Hickey intervened, and the confrontation spilled towards the Illawarra bench. Maker was ejected on the night. The scoreline and the flashpoint are connected only by timing: Adelaide's basketball had already done the damage, with a 36-point third quarter putting the result beyond realistic reach.
Monday's Game Review Panel decisions initially gave the clubs different choices. Rakocevic faced an increased fixed financial offence because it was his second within the relevant two-season period; his early plea reduced the amount to $1,165. Maker's charge for engaging in a melee, brawl or scuffle was settled for $585. Hickey's intentional, medium-impact striking classification was the only one with an immediate suspension alternative. The panel's original determinations laid out those options before the clubs responded.
The NBL's subsequent confirmation says all three accepted the early pleas. That matters particularly for Illawarra, whose guard rotation now avoids an enforced one-game absence just as the Hawks prepare to face South East Melbourne on Wednesday. It doesn't erase the need for better composure, but it does remove a selection problem that could have complicated an already difficult week.
Adelaide, meanwhile, can focus on what was impressive before the confrontation. Zylan Cheatham had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the season's first triple-double, while Rakocevic added 20 points, 16 boards and six assists. Bryce Cotton scored 17 of his 22 points in the third quarter. The 36ers' match report also records John Jenkins III's five made threes and the 106–78 final, a reminder that the night offered far more basketball substance than the late scuffle.
For Illawarra, the bigger concern is how quickly its offence fell away. The Hawks were only a point behind after the opening quarter but managed 16 in the second and 23 in the third as Adelaide stretched its advantage. Tyler Harvey scored 19, yet the visitors couldn't keep pace with the Sixers' passing and perimeter shooting. Avoiding a suspension for Hickey is useful; finding more consistent half-court production against the Phoenix is the harder assignment.
Adelaide hosts Melbourne United on Thursday, while Illawarra's Wednesday trip to the Phoenix arrives first. Neither club needs to carry a disciplinary absence into those games. After a weekend in which the confrontation threatened to dominate discussion, the next meaningful test is back on the floor: whether Adelaide can repeat its frontcourt chemistry and whether Illawarra can respond with an attack capable of staying in a game for four quarters.
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