Kings' bench look to keep it rolling against Bullets
10 Jan
1
min read


The Sydney Kings have rattled off four straight wins to cement their position on top of the ladder, as the NBL23 season heads into round 15.
A big part of that has been the Hoops Capital side's offensive explosion, averaging an incredible 106 points per game during that stretch.
"Earlier in the season, we were feeling each other out a bit and figuring out how we all liked to play and what positions we like to be in to score the ball," Kings forward Kouat Noi said.
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"Obviously our offence has come a long way since then but I put the huge scores the past four games down to our improved defence, by sticking to the gameplan and getting stops, which then allows us to get out in transition where we're super dangerous.
"Our play flows on from there and as you can see, we're all having plenty of fun of there on the court,"
One of the main catalysts for that has been the impact of the club's 'bench mob', featuring the likes of Noi, Angus Glover, Jordi Hunter, Shaun Bruce and Jaylin Galloway.
For example, the harbour city side's bench outscored Perth's 44-8 during Saturday's triumph, while doing similar (34-15) against South East Melbourne a couple of days earlier.
"Our second group, which I'm a part of, come into the game with so much confidence, as we know we're a talented team from top to bottom and most of our bench group could be starters in a number of the other teams in this league," said Noi, who says the Hoops Capital side has the deepest squad in the competition.
"We come into the game to try and keep applying the same pressure as the starters, as we have so many weapons in this team that can hurt the opposition in different ways.
"We're relentless and never stop coming at teams, which makes it hard for them, when the likes of myself, Jordi, Angus, Shaun and our other bench guys are scoring in double digits.
"We're a big-time group and I feel as though our chemistry is only getting better, which is a scary thought.
"It's been super fun to be a part of and I can't wait until we take it to another level come playoff time."
The next test for Noi's 15-5 Kings is the Bullets, who the league leaders have already beaten twice in NBL23.
"While Brisbane has had a tough season to date, we know we're in for a challenge on Wednesday night," he said.
"We can't get too comfortable and have to keep working hard towards those bigger goals we have as a team - if we stick to the game plan and scout, I'm confident we can record our fifth straight win."
With just 3 home games to go this season, next Sunday afternoon is the final Freeway series match against arch-rivals the Illawarra Hawks and our last doubleheader with the Flames against Townsville Fire.
— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) January 7, 2023
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Extending that win streak will go a long way to cementing the reigning champions spot in the top two, with just four rounds remaining.
"It's very important for us to stay in those top two positions and just as we preach at practice each and every day, we can't become complacent
"Obviously it's great we're on top of the ladder but plenty of hard work, from the players but also coaches and staff, has gone into getting us there and we're all willing to keep pushing each other.
"We're all working towards one goal this season and going to do whatever we can to achieve it."
Wednesday's round 15 fixture will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel from 7.30pm AEDT.

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