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AN import cut, a treasure trove of injuries, role confusion, no defensive fortitude and shambolick offence - welcome to Week 2 of the NBL season for the Illawarra Hawks, crushed today by historic arch rival Sydney as its championship MVP Kendric Davis ran riot for 31 points and six assists.

Davis' haul came on 56 per cent shooting and was well supported by fellow championship import Torrey Craig whose 20 came at 73 per cent.

After the Hawks came out blazing, Tyler Harvey prominent early, Sydney's focus, gameplan, execution and discipline exposed Illawarra as a team in decline.

This wasn't the much-anticipated clash of the NBL's past two champions, it barely was a practice run for a Kings team which encountered token defence at best from a side full of frustrated veterans.

As Sydney pulled further away and rookies such as Will Johnston (14 points at 83 per cent, 4 boards, 4 assists) and the increasingly imposing Makuach Maluach (19 points at 100 per cent) excited the crowd at what the future holds, Illawarra looked worse and worse.

Todd Blanchfield out with a broken thumb, Mason Peatling with a lower leg injury and both not due back for 4-6 weeks only added to the Hawks' exasperations, Milton Doyle fouling out on a technical in another poorly officiated contest.

In Adelaide, Nick Rakocevic had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and five boards to halftime as the 36ers powered away from an occasionally casual Cairns outfit.

From 52-34 ahead at the break, the 36ers weathered a generally erratic Taipans fightback, the match restarting with a turnover frenzy.

With only Jack McVeigh (21 points) scoring consistently, the Snakes grafted back, halving a deficit which spilt out to 20 before Bryce Cotton (25 points, 4-of-8 threes) restored order.

Shaun Bruce earnt the crowd's ire after he buried a classic Aussie Rules hip-and-shoulder into Zylan Cheatham, proving you can take the boy out of Horsham, but you can't take Horsham out of the boy.

Rakocevic, after losing some third-quarter focus, finished strongly for a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, Cairns heading home with more questions than answers.

Round 2 Results, Sunday

Adelaide 36ers 83 (Cotton 25, Rakocevic 21, Jenkins 10; Rakocevic 12 rebs; Cheatham, Cotton 4 assts) d Cairns Taipans 69 (McVeigh 21, Bolden 11, Lewis 9; Pinder 7 rebs; Lewis, Bruce 4 assts) at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Sydney Kings 121 (Davis 31, Craig 20, Maluach 19, Johnston 14; Carr 12 rebs; Davis 6 assts) d Illawarra Hawks 100 (Froling, Martin 21, Adnam 17, Harvey 12; Martin 7 rebs; Doyle 6 assts) at Afterpay Arena.