Kings clinch game three against Taipans to secure grand final spot

The Sydney Kings will play in their second straight Championship Series after defeating Cairns 79-64 in game three of the Playoff Semi-Final series at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday. 

The victory keeps the Kings’ back-to-back hopes alive, with the Grand Final series set to start on Friday, March 3 in Sydney. 

Match summary 

Newly crowned MVP Xavier Cooks showed no ill effects of his ankle injury scoring and assisting on the Kings’ first six points, as the hosts led 6-5. That ballooned to 11-6 following a Dejan Vasiljevic triple before consecutive three-pointers by Ben Ayre and Lay Mayen equalled the ledger – which was part of an 11-0 run for Adam Forde’s side. Four quick ones by Kouat Noi, combined with an and-one by Cooks, brought Sydney to within one. But a late Tahjere McCall three-point-play helped the Snakes lead 26-20 after one. 

Early in the second, quick scores by Vasiljevic and Justin Simon helped the Hoops Capital side regain the lead – with Sydney starting on a 16-5 run. Following a Derrick Walton Jr shot from downtown, Chase Buford’s side led 41-35 with just over two to play. Free-throws by Angis Glover, following a Bul Kuol unsportsmanlike foul, a triple by Jordi Hunter and charity stripe shots by Shaun Bruce, sparked a 10-4 run by the harbour city side – allowing them to lead 48-39 at half-time. 

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The visitors opened the term on a 6-0 run but strong play by Tim Soares, Glover and Jaylin Galloway steadied the ship for the reigning champions, to lead 60-52 midway through the period. AAs the clock ticked down, the Kings' resilient defence allowed them to get out on the break and push the pace. But the Kings couldn’t take advantage of these stops, losing the term 19-14, to only lead by four (62-58) going into the last. 

Inside scores early in the fourth by Noi and Vasiljevic pushed Sydney’s lead out to six, which extended to nine when Bruce landed a huge three. Although the Kings didn’t score for close to four minutes in the term, their tough defence kept them in it – as Cairns also struggled to but the ball in the hole. Timely scores by Simon and Vasiljevic (back-to-back triples) helped the host move up by 14. Down the stretch, Walton Jr sealed the 15-point win with a crafty lay-up – to book Sydney their second-straight Championship Series Grand Final berth. 

Where the match was decided 

With neither side shooting well from the field (38 per cent for the Kings to 31 from Cairns), Sydney secured the win by winning the statistical categories of rebounds (58-40), assists (14-12), free-throw shooting (77-58), points in the paint (36-30), second chance points (17-9), points off turnovers (13-10), bench points (31-25) and fast break points (13-4). 

Key moment  

With the game on the line, Buford’s side produced a clutch 17-6 final term to secure the vital game three win. 

Player of the game 

Vasiljevic, after two quiet games, stepped up when it counted on Sunday, producing 15 points (including three triples), five rebounds and one assist. 

The standout was Simon, who restricted the dangerous DJ Hogg to just nine points on 3/8 shooting from the field. 

Other to score in double figures were Noi (11), Cooks (11) and Walton Jr (10). 

What’s next 

The Kings will turn their attention to the NBL23 Championship Series, which will tip-off off against either New Zealand or Tasmania at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday, March 3. 

Remember, all information, including tickets, for the Kings’ Hungry Jacks Finals Series tilt, can be found here.