Adams, Cooks lead Kings to thrilling win over 36ers

By Matt McQuade

Result: Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings 93 Adelaide 36ers 90

Stats that matter: Kings 51% FG; Kings 11 three-pointers; Kings 18 assists; Kings 44 points in the paint

Kings MVP: It was a tough call, but give it to Xavier Cooks for a sensational double-double.

Turning Point: A fourth quarter 7-0 run from the Kings just as it seemed like the 36ers were taking control.

The game was over when: As it has for the last few games, it came down to the last possession, and a desperation heave from the 36ers’ Daniel Johnson was off the mark as time expired.

Trending in the right direction: Sydney’s ability to make plays when it really counts continues to impress.

A clutch go-ahead three pointer from Jaylen Adams with just three seconds left has lifted the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings to a thrilling 93-90 win on Sunday afternoon against the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Adams (26 points, seven assists, three steals) was spectacular for most of the game but saved his best for last with a nerveless bomb that gave the purple and gold their fifth consecutive victory.

“Yes,” Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings Head Coach Chase Buford joked when asked if was an easy decision to put the ball in Jaylen’s hands for Sydney’s final offensive play.

“It’s been an easy decision for well over 50 games now.

“I trust Jaylen Adams with the ball in his hands with the game on the line; just as I trust X (Xavier Cooks), like I trust Jarell (Martin), DJ (Dejan Vasiljevic), all these guys.”

Adams wasn’t the only standout for the Kings this day, because Xavier Cooks (25 points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots) was nothing short of magnificent.

X did everything for his team at one end with great rebounding and rim protection; offensively he was a low post puzzle that Adelaide never solved, throwing down a number of thunderous dunks, putting enormous pressure on the basket and even finding time to swish an outrageous turnaround three-pointer at the halftime buzzer that sliced the 36er lead to just two, 47-45.

And he was simply brilliant in the second half with Adelaide having no answers for him.

“Just his ability in the second half to find the right spots,” Coach Buford said when asked what most impressed him about Xavier’s performance.

“He competed so hard and made so many plays on the boards.

“But just down the stretch, how many times do we come off and it’s just a shovel pass to X because he’s in a perfect position as a dunker and playing around the rim where he’s terrific.

“It was just a bunch of easy baskets for him which helped us win. Without those dunks and easy lay-ups from him we don’t win that game.”

For his part, Xavier paid tribute to his new-look team and their growing chemistry.

“We’ve got seven new players in this team and it’s tough to come into a season with not playing together and understanding how each other plays,” Cooks said.

“We’re starting to figure each other out; we’re still getting stops at the defensive end and we’re playing good basketball right now.”

The Kings had to fight all the way against an Adelaide ballclub that came out desperate on their home floor, needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes on track.

36er forward Cameron Bairstow (18 points, eight rebounds) was a tough cover for Sydney’s Jarell Martin (10 points, three rebounds); Dusty Hannahs (24 points) showcased his varied offensive skillset and Sunday Dech (13 points, seven rebounds) hit some big perimeter shots as Adelaide gave the visiting team everything they could handle.

Despite being outrebounded 46-34 and having problems containing Adelaide players defensively for much of the contest, Sydney found a way to win on the road in yet another game that should give them a boost of confidence heading into the second half of the season.

In a game that featured several lead changes and the largest margin between the two teams was just eight points, Coach Buford’s men continued to show enormous poise and composure when it really counted, just as they have during this impressive run that has vaulted them to third place on the National Basketball League ladder with a 10-7 record.

“You look at the three games before we started this run of seven wins in our last eight and we lost those by close margins – we had the lead in all of those,” Chase said.

“Whether it’s a close game or not, I’m very encouraged by our team’s ability to continue to grow.

“We’re learning how to execute down the stretch. We’re learning what a good shot down the stretch looks like.

“We’ve always been a good defensive team, so we’ll hang our hat on getting some stops and we’re growing in those moments.”

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And while Jaylen Adams and Xavier Cooks will justifiably get the majority of the kudos for their brilliance this Sunday, Sydney’s depth was again crucial to the outcome.

This time, it was Shaun Bruce (eight points, two assists) hitting two massive triples at critical stages in the fourth quarter – once when it appeared Adelaide had momentum and another to give Sydney an 85-83 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

“I told him after the game that it was a heck of a time to mix in a make,” Coach Buford joked.

“But oh boy, was he big down the stretch.

“You could say that ‘Brucey’ has had an up and down shooting year and it’s the one thing that’s held him back, but I have so much confidence in him in being able to execute the right plays.

“To get us in the right spots, to guard when it matters – that was why he was out there at the end because he’s earned that trust.

“Whether he makes a few shots or doesn’t, he helps us in so many ways, but obviously to come down and hit those two big threes down the stretch was massive for our club.”

The fourth quarter featured huge plays on both sides.

Bruce’s threes were one thing, but Ian Clark (eight points, five rebounds) also nailed a massive bomb from way downtown to give the Kings a four-point lead with 90 seconds left; Cooks had one of his gigantic throwdowns on the night off a gorgeous no-look feed from Adams and the 36ers responded with some clutch shooting from Hannahs, Dech and Daniel Johnson (15 points, seven rebounds, three assists).

In the end, it came down to a simple equation. Sydney made one more play than Adelaide did, combined with the Kings getting two crucial stops in the final twenty seconds; first restricting Hannahs to a tough contested jumper that was off the mark and then forcing a desperation heave at the buzzer from Johnson that missed everything.

However, the big takeaway is this – Sydney grabs a key victory on the road and is beginning to flex their muscle as an NBL22 championship contender.

The Kings shot the ball at an efficient 51% from the field, were 11 of 26 from three-point range and even managed to overcome a poor shooting night from the free throw line, where they were 12 of 20.

Round 14 is Indigenous Round in the National Basketball League, and Sydney will feature their spectacular new Indigenous jersey as they welcome the Cairns Taipans to Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, 6 March. Tipoff for that one is scheduled for 3:00pm AEST and tickets are on sale now via Ticketek.

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BRYDENS LAWYERS SYDNEY KINGS 93 (Adams 26, Cooks 25, Martin 10)
ADELAIDE 36ERS 90 (Hannahs 24, Bairstow 18, Johnson 15) at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

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