Kings bounce back with a win over the 36ers

By Matt McQuade

Result: Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings 85 Adelaide 36ers 75

Stats That Matter: Kings 22 assists; Rebound count Kings 44 36ers 41; Kings 15 second chance points; Kings 38 points in the paint.

Kings MVP: Jarell Martin was a force on the glass and reliable offensively.

Turning Point: A 13-2 run to close the third quarter gave the Kings a much-needed boost.

The game was over when: Daniel Kickert tipped in a Casper Ware miss with 45 seconds remaining.

Trending in the right direction: The Kings’ D in the second half was impressive.

An excellent second half defensive performance has lifted the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings to a solid 85-75 win over the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday afternoon at Qudos Bank Arena.

After being outscored 30-19 in the second quarter and trailing 42-37 at the half, Sydney went to a 1-2-2 extended press midway through the third period, a savvy decision by Brydens Lawyers Head Coach Adam Forde that turned the game.

With the Kings roaring to life and getting multiple stops, the energy from the purple and gold noticeably lifted, and where the 36ers had been getting open looks previously, they found Sydney players contesting their shots.

That increased defensive intensity resulted in scores at the other end, with Casper Ware hitting five straight points as part of a closing 13-2 run that saw the home team roar to a 60-52 lead with ten minutes remaining.

Adelaide’s Brandon Paul made two big threes and Daniel Johnson had one of his own early in the fourth quarter to give the 36ers renewed hope, but every time they knocked one down, Sydney had the answers through a clutch triple from Shaun Bruce and two huge buckets from standout Most Improved candidate Jordan Hunter.

And when Craig Moller buried a wide-open three-point bomb with five minutes left, followed by a Hunter block of a Josh Giddey lay-up attempt, it seemed like Adelaide’s hopes were slipping away.

The visitors had one last push left in them, with a Tony Crocker three pointer and a Giddey deuce cutting the margin to four points with three minutes remaining, but that was as close as the 36ers would get the rest of the way.

Responding to the mini Adelaide run, the Kings resumed their second half defensive clampdown to come away with a win that gets them back to .500 on the season with a 15-15 record and keeps them on track in the race to the NBL21 playoffs.

Coach Forde pointed to his team’s improved energy and effort in the second half as a big reason for the Kings’ bounce back win after the club had lost three straight and was coming off a tough loss to the Bullets in Brisbane on Thursday.

“When we talk about the first half, we were so sluggish, and I thought that I was responsible obviously,” he said.

“We got to halftime, and (in the change room) I started off calm, but then I thought that if I’m coaching these guys the way I’ve been coaching them, then I’m going to do some finger pointing and throw some F-bombs around. It worked, and I got a response from it.”

“We brought a lot of that 1-2-2 in because we have X (Xavier Cooks) back and we’ve got the opportunity to extend that D a little bit.”

“Credit to X and Craig (Moller) for obviously being up front and leading it, and the guards on the second line. Communication is what makes it work, and if you don’t navigate through it, it becomes a bit of a scramble defence that doesn’t have much success. So, it all fell into place a bit, and although it’s still early days, it’s something we want to get better at.”

Five Kings scored in double figures on the night, led by Jarell Martin, who was a force at both ends with 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Jordan Hunter had 15 points on six of nine shooting, Craig Moller finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Daniel Kickert had 12 huge points off the bench.

Casper Ware struggled shooting the ball, going just 2/11 from the field, although he was as usual money at the free throw line, going 8/9 there to finish with 13 points, but it was his assist numbers that were so impressive.

Casper’s 12 dimes on the night were the most in Sydney Kings franchise history in a 40-minute NBL game, and the most recorded by a Kings’ player since Sydney Kings Legend CJ Bruton had 12 assists in a game, ironically, against the 36ers in Adelaide on 14 January, 2005.

The Kings shot the ball at 43.3% from the field, were 9 of 28 from three-point range and 18/23 from the free throw line. They outrebounded the 36ers 44-41, had 38 points in the paint and had 15 second chance points.

Adelaide was led by Daniel Johnson, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Brandon Paul had 21 points and four rebounds and Jack McVeigh produced 12 points and five boards. In his final game in Sydney before he heads to the NBA draft, Next Star Josh Giddey struggled with four points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Adelaide drops to 13-18 with the loss and sees their faint playoff hopes all but extinguished; a gutsy second half effort from Sydney sees the Kings live to fight another day.

As they continue their quest for the playoffs, Sydney faces an overseas road double in Round 19. The Kings will play the New Zealand Breakers on Thursday 20 May at The Trusts Arena in Auckland with tipoff scheduled for 5:30pm AEST, with the second game of the round against the Breakers on Saturday May 22 at TSB Stadium in New Plymouth. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30pm AEST.

Rise With Us Sydney.

BRYDENS LAWYERS SYDNEY KINGS 85 (Martin 20, Hunter 15, Ware 13)
ADELAIDE 36ERS 75 (Johnson 23, Paul 21, McVeigh 12) at Qudos Bank Arena.

BOXSCORE