JackJumpers hand Kings first home loss of NBL24

The Sydney Kings suffered their first home loss of the season on Sunday, losing 105-95 to the Tasmania JackJumpers at Qudos Bank Arena.

The round four defeat, the Kings' second to Tasmania of NBL24, was played in front of 10,721 fans - marking the club's 14 games out of 16 they've attracted more than 10,000 fans.

Match summary  

An early lay-up by Marcus Lee saw the JackJumpers take the lead, but this lead was promptly equalled by Denzel Valentine. The JJs then soared ahead to an 8-2 lead in the first 1.54 minutes. However, contributions from Valentine, Jordi Hunter, Jaylen Adams and Jaylin Galloway saw the game at a 10-all tie. Back-to-back shots from Clint Steindl saw the period ending in an 11-point lead for the Ants (36-25) with many fouls landing in the visiting team's favour. 

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Alex Toohey started the second term strong, with a jump shot by NBL Next Stars seeing the purple and gold trail 38-29. Tasmania however pushed their lead back into double digits within the first 4.33 minutes, thanks to their strong ball movement. A scoring drought ensued for both sides but it was broken by a series of free throws that saw the JackJumpers' lead grow to 14 points. Late contributions by Shaun Bruce and Kouat Noi aided the Kings significantly closing the half on a high - despite going into the sheds with a 12-point deficit.

Valentine started the quarter on a high, bringing the lead back to single digits - combined with quick back-to-back buckets by Galloway and Toohey. The JJs consolidated their lead with a jump shot from Jordon Crawford. Hunter fought back, coupled with a rebound from Adams drawing the points gap closer to 61-58. The Kings continued to press thanks to NBL22 MVP Adams, however, a jump shot from Fabian Krslovic sparked the JJs back into action. Makuach Maluach’s triple closed the gap more, but Majok Deng quickly shut this down, with the Ants upholding their lead for another quarter. 

Back-to-back three-pointers from Crawford, combined with Jonah Bolden fouling out, forced Mahmoud Abdelfattah to call a time-out for the Kings. Crawford put out a masterclass early on in the quarter, accumulating 14 straight points for the JackJumpers. A three-pointer from Adams broke the Kings’ shooting slump, followed quickly by Noi and-one. Free throw contributions from Hunter and Shaun Bruce, coupled with a two-pointer from Maluach, drew the JJs' lead into the single digits. A late three-pointer from Adams bought spirits up, but despite this, the Kings were unable to compete with Crawford and Milton Doyle, as they ran out a 10-point win. 

Where the match was decided  

Tasmania's win was set up by their superior three-point percentage (39 per cent to 27) and free-throw percentage (81-72), as well as committing five less turnovers (12-7).

The visitors also won bench points (39-25), points off turnovers (16-5) and second-chance points (20-12).

Key moment  

The Jackies shot 65 per cent (12/19 including 4/6 from downtown) in the first quarter, to rack up 36 points compared to the Kings’ 25 - which laid the platform for the round four victory.

Player of the game  

Adams (21 points) once again top-scored for the Hoops Capital club, while also adding 10 rebounds and five assists.

Other standouts in the loss were Hunter (16 points and five boards), Toohey (13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks) and Valentine (12 points, eight boards and six dimes).

Watch Mahmoud Abdelfattah and Angus Glover break down the Kings' round loss to Tasmania via Sydney Kings' 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  

Abdelfattah’s side, who are now 4-2, now head to the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday, October 28 to face the Taipans from 7.30pm AEDT – which will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo Sports.  

The Kings' next home game is on Sunday, November 5 from 3.45pm AEDT against New Zealand – which will not only mark a grand final replay from last season but also represent the club’s annual Indigenous Round.