Tatum apologises: Hawks lament "embarrassing" loss

Championship coach Justin Tatum apologised to Illawarra Hawks members and fans for his team’s performance in their record 40-minute loss on Friday,

Even with Davo Hickey and new import QJ Peterson in the lineup, the Hawks crashed to their worst-ever 40-minute defeat at home, losing to the New Zealand Breakers by 42 points.

It was a nightmare shooting display from the defending champions, who hit just 32 per cent from the field, went 2-of-23 from three-point range, and managed only 12 free throws.

For Tatum, the shooting slump was the least of his worries. What alarmed him most was the lack of fight and defensive intensity from his team as they allowed 102 points.

Tatum was quick to apologise after the game, admitting it was embarrassing to lose by such a margin on home court.

"I first want to apologise to our fans and our members for the lack of effort that we gave today as a whole, and as a team," Tatum said.

"This is the third time losing by 20 or more this season and that was an embarrassing game for me to even stand on the sideline and watch. It's never fun losing period, but losing by 40 is definitely hard to watch."

Hickey, returning from an eye injury, was among the few positives for Illawarra, finishing with 6 points and 6 assists in 26 minutes, despite a team-high minus-32 and 5 turnovers.

Newly signed import guard Peterson also made his debut, playing 25 minutes but struggling to find rhythm, shooting 1-of-10 for 4 points and 3 assists.

Tatum welcomed the quick turnaround as the Hawks prepare to travel to Adelaide to face the 36ers on Sunday, even though their opponents will be fresh after a seven-day break. The Hawks will then return home to host unbeaten Melbourne on Wednesday.

"It's a great thing that we play in less than 48 hours for sure, I can't sit on a loss like this for a week," Tatum said.

"I'm sure with the professional guys we have that they will give a major effort on Sunday and hopefully we can turn the momentum around.

"We just have to have a short-term memory and that's what I told the guys in there, and we will talk about it and discuss it, and do some film things on the road, but your memory has to be short.

"It's going to be really tough in Adelaide with them sitting for a week waiting and we'll be their first opponent coming in this round."