Kevin Lisch of the Kings drives to the basket against the Illawarra Hawks. Photo / Getty Images
Reigning NBL MVP Kevin Lisch led the Sydney Kings to a 88-84 win over his former side Illawarra on Thursday night at WIN Entertainment Centre.
Booed every time he touched the ball, Lisch had the last laugh with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals in Sydney's first win of
the 2016-17 season.
"I never take these things personally, and the fans here are great," Lisch said."It's a relief to get that first win and it's irrelevant where it happened. It's a great atmosphere to play in and if I was a fan I'd boo myself."
Home grown Sydney boy Jason Cadee poured in 17 of his 20 points in the first half, while two-time NBA champion Josh Powell tallied 14 points and six rebounds in his first game for the Kings.
The Hawks went into the game as favourites but struggled to match their arch rivals' physicality. Compounding Illawarra's loss was a hamstring injury suffered by starting guard Mitch Norton in the opening quarter.
Known as one of the NBL's most proficient shooting teams, the Hawks were a dismal four of 23 from long range and missed 10 of 34 free throws.
