Bogut labels game two win 'best he can remember' during Kings tenure

With their back against the wall and facing the possibility of going down 2-0 in the NBL23 Championship Grand Final Series, the Sydney Kings knew the enormity of Sunday's showdown with New Zealand.

Throw in the fact that All-NBL First-Teamers Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr were both under serious injury clouds, the Kings knew the cards were stacked against them - especially when both of those two stars were ruled out for the contest at half-time.

But Sydney's depth and 'next man up mentality' rose to the fore and shown through in a big way, as the Hoops Capital club won game two at Spark Arena and evened the series at 1-all - thanks to heroic efforts by Justin Simon, Kouat Noi and Jordi Hunter.

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A man that knows all too well about winning crucial playoff games on the road is former NBA Champion and current Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut, who was thoroughly impressed with the harbour city side's showing away from home.

"I was obviously very impressed [with the boys' performance]" Bogut said,

"Hearing two of our guys [Cooks and Walton Jr] were banged up and still trying to give it a go before they were pulled out pretty early, was nerve-wracking - I'm not going to lie.

"But the fact the guys stuck together and ground out the tough win was sensational."

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Bogut went as far as to say this was the biggest win the club has had since he joined as a player on April 24, 2018.

"No doubt - it's the best [win] I can remember," he said.

"It was such a grind and a game that we controlled from the start, making them work for everything they got."

READ MORE: KINGS STAR COOKS SIGNS WITH NBA'S WASHINGTON WIZARDS

In particular, the 2015 NBA Champion with Golden State singled out the exploits of Justin Simon and Jordi Hunter during the Spark Arena fixture.

"Justin's three straight steals at that stage of the game, which all led to dunks and lay-ups, came at a point when both teams were struggling to score - so to get easy baskets as we did at that time was sensational," the 38-year-old said.

"Jordi was really good and dictated terms defensively - not allowing any easy looks in the paint.

"Although his stat line wasn't anything to jump off the page, he really set a tone for us."

Following our incredible victory in Auckland, we are now tied 1-1 in the NBL Championship Series.

Tickets to game 3 are selling fast, so secure your seats at Qudos Bank Arena and help us defend the crown on Friday, March 10 ?

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— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) March 5, 2023

Now with the series all tied up at one game a piece, Bogut admits that the result gives the Hoops Capital club a huge boost ahead of game three on Friday at Qudos Bank Arena.

"After grinding out a win we probably weren't supposed to get, it's brought a lot of confidence to the group knowing that hopefully we can have some guys a bit more healthy and played a few more minutes," he said.

"All the role players stood up on Sunday but I also know there's a lot we can be better at too, which I know Chase [Buford] will hit in the film room this week to try and get that win on Friday.

"The biggest is probably that offensively that we need to keep pushing the pace, as I know New Zealand do a great job of slowing us down in that area - so it's up to us to ensure that they don't dictate that part of the game and bog us down."

Tickets for the Qudos Bank Arena fixture, which tips off at 7.15pm AEDT, are still available here.