Bruce's Kings return to scene of grand final crime

The last time Sydney played at MyState Bank Arena, the stakes were as high as they could be during the NBL22 grand final series.

Fast-forward to this Friday and the stakes are again high for the Kings and JackJumpers when they go toe-to-toe in round 17.

The Hoops Capital side, while currently in first place, is on a two-game losing streak and is only one game up on Cairns in the win column, highlighting how important all four remaining games of the NBL23 regular season are.

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"A big focus was on the fact we gave up over 50 points in both of the first halves," said Kings guard Shaun Bruce.

"We pride ourselves on being able to run after stops so getting back to that and focusing on that end of the floor is something we need to get back to this week."

On the other side of the ledger is Scott Roth's side, who are fourth having won three of their past four contests.

And with how tight the race for the top six is, every win is vital at this point of the campaign.

"[We're] most definitely [expecting another hostile crowd] - they have done a great job coming out and supporting their team," said Kings guard Shaun Bruce.

"We love going and playing in environments like that, so Friday night will be a good one.

"[On the court] They do a great job executing and shooting a lot of threes, so defending the three-point line is always important against them.

"Guys like Milton [Doyle] and Jack [McVeigh] can hurt you if you’re not locked in.

"Also making sure the game is played at our tempo and finding ways to bring pace to the game."

With Cairns losing to South East Melbourne, Chase Buford's side now has a two-game advantage on the second-placed Taipans, heading into the final four of the regular season.

While the harbour city side is desperate to finish first, they know solid on-court performances will lead to that.

"[The] ladder position will take care of itself," the Horsham product said.

"Our focus is on getting better at things we can control and all we want out of these last few games is to find our best basketball.

"The exciting thing is although we’ve had success this season, we feel like there is another level we can get to and that’s what we are thriving for coming into playoffs."

Friday's game tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, which will be followed by the Kings returning to Qudos Bank Arena for their final home game of the regular season against South East Melbourne. 

Tickets to the Pride Round fixture, which tips off at 4pm AEDT and is part of a Hoops Capital double-header, are still available here.