Fourth-quarter fightback secures Kings win over Bullets

The Sydney Kings have stormed back to defeat the Brisbane Bullets 93-81 in Sunday’s Heritage Round fixture.

The victory by the Hoops Capital side, which solidified their spot in the top three, was played in front of 11,576 fans at Qudos Bank Arena, representing the biggest Kings’ crowd of NBL25. 

Match summary 

Alex Toohey started the game on fire with a score and steal before Brisbane responded with four points of their own. James Batemon and Keli Leaupepe traded triples, followed by efforts by Casey Prather and Mitch Norton, seeing the Bullets lead 13-6 early on. Lay-ins by Xavier Cooks and Toohey closed the margin, as did a driving bucket by Jaylen Adams. Kouat Noi made an instant impact off the bench, who, along with Adams, kept Sydney within striking distance. The hosts ended the term on a 9-2 run, to go into the break all tied at 25-all. 

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Another run, this time 8-2, sparked by Adams, saw the Kings move out to a six-point lead. The point guard’s exceptional start to the game continued with an impressive and-one. But the visitors responded with a run of their own, scoring 11 of the next 15 points, largely from downtown via Batemon and Prather. Efforts by Cooks and Noi down the stretch of the period ensured Brian Goorjian’s side only trailed 54-48 at half-time. 

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Keep watching our Kings take on the Brisbane Bullets live on ESPN and 10 BOLD! #TakeTheThrone @xaviercooks10 pic.twitter.com/a2fFzSZkWn

— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) December 15, 2024

Sydney scored six of the first eight points of the period, thanks to triples from Cooks and Toohey. Adams kept cooking, closing the deficit to two, before a Cooks to Oliver alley-oop brought the crowd to their feet. The Bullets’ extraordinary shooting from downtown didn’t let up, with Prather and Tohi Smith-Milner landing shots from beyond the arc – helping the visitors lead 73-66 at the final change. 

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An early triple by Leaupepe closed the margin, as did four free-throws by Adams – as the score was 85-83 with eight to play. The latter, after two strong defensive possessions, found Shaun Bruce for a corner three and the Kings re-took the lead. An and-one by Noi and bucket by Adams saw the harbour city side’s lead grow to six – capping a 15-0 run. An and-one by Cooks, further free-throws by Adams and a tough lay-in by the NBL23 MVP saw the advantage grow to eight. 

Where the match was decided 

Sydney's Heritage Round win was set up by statistical victories in rebounds (42-34), steals (11-5), second-chance points (14-9), points off turnovers (25-12) and bench points (47-12) - while also forcing more turnovers (18-12).

Key moment 

Sparked by a 15-0 run, the Kings outscored their opponents 27-8 to secure the 12-point victory.

Players of the game 

Adams and Cooks once again starred for Sydney, combining for 57 points in the triumph.

The former totalled 32 points, four dimes, four steals and two rebounds, while the latter added 25 points, 11 boards, five assists, one steal and one block.

The other two Kings to reach double figures were Noi (13) and Toohey (10).

Watch Brian Goorjian and Kouat Noi's post-game interview via Sydney Flames’ YouTube channel above. While you’re there, be sure to hit subscribe, to ensure you never miss out on any of our great videos.

What’s next 

Goorjian’s team, who are now 10-7, now head back to New Zealand to take on the Breakers at Spark Arena on Friday, December 20 from 5.30pm AEDT on ESPN. 

The Kings’ next home game is on Wednesday, December 25 when they’ll host Freeway Series rivals Illawarra for their annual Christmas night clash. 

Tickets to the Qudos Bank Arena fixture, tipping off at 8.15pm AEDT, are still available here.