Kings close out NBL Cup with huge win over the Bullets

Written by Matt McQuade for Kings Media

Result: Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings 119 Brisbane Bullets 108

Stats That Matter: Kings 54% FG; Kings 15/27 (55%) 3PT FG; Kings 14/16 (87%) FT; Kings 54 points in the paint; Kings 19 second chance points.

Kings MVP: Casper Ware. Led from the front in a brilliant performance, particularly when the game was there to be won.

Turning Point: Whatever Coach Forde said to his troops at the half. The Kings came out a totally different unit after the halftime break.

The game was over when: Craig Moller grabbed a crucial offensive rebound with a minute left and got it to Casper Ware, who drained a game-sealing triple.

Trending in the right direction: Jarell Martin played 21 damaging minutes.

A stunning third quarter has helped propel the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings to a thrilling 119-108 victory over the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday night at John Cain Arena in Melbourne.

The Bullets were coming off back-to-back wins over league heavyweights Perth and Melbourne and did as they pleased offensively in the first half behind Nathan Sobey, who had 20 of his game-high 35 points in the opening two quarters to lead Brisbane to a 56-48 lead at intermission.

But after a stern message delivered by Head Coach Adam Forde in the dressing rooms at intermission, it was an energised, committed outfit wearing purple and gold that took to the floor at the start of the second half.

“The message was pretty blunt,” Coach Forde said.

“We’re in a position where we are win one, lose one, win one, lose one, and we really want to get over this hump and say now we can win two, three, four in a row, string some quarters together and win convincingly.”

“Halftime was pretty much a line in the sand moment where it could have gone one of two ways. Either come together with a bit of fighting spirit, or we could crumble and go through the motions.”

“This is where I’m happy with the team – their mental toughness. We’re showing that we’re taking the right steps in the right direction. The message was heard, and the boys got out there and delivered.”

Casper Ware (25 points, 10 assists, four rebounds) started the turnaround with a pair of triples, and he would finish with ten points in a 38-point third quarter – the 38 points representing the most points scored by any team in a quarter in NBL21. Remarkably, the Kings shot 13 of 16 from the field and were a perfect seven of seven from three-point range in their third period onslaught.

And Sydney’s floor leader, who was superb in leading the Kings to a much-needed win, had plenty of help in that devastating third quarter. Tom Vodanovich (13 points, three rebounds) came off the bench to nail three consecutive three-point bombs, Shaun Bruce had seven of his 11 points in the frame and Jordan Hunter (13 points, eight rebounds) was a force on the glass.

Despite Anthony Drmic (11 points) hitting a pair of threes for Brisbane, including one at the buzzer to end the quarter, the Kings had outscored the Bullets 38-24 to take an 86-80 lead into the final change.

Importantly, the team was playing with great energy and intent, and that carried over into the fourth quarter, where they rebuffed Brisbane at nearly every turn.

Individually, Jarell Martin (21 points, three rebounds) was immense for the Kings, with eight key points midway through the final period before fouling out, showing the great quickness and low post skill he has already become known for.

“It’s good for me to be that dominant post player and have my teammates trust me and get me the ball on the block, so I can operate and get to the basket,” Jarell said.

Then there was Craig Moller (15 points, seven rebounds, two steals) who arguably played his best game for the club, particularly when both Martin and Hunter had fouled out and the game was on the line. He grabbed crucial rebounds, played tough defence, and even hit a couple of triples. And his offensive rebound with one minute remaining followed by a pitch-out to Ware for a clutch three was a defining moment in the ballgame.

“Craig was really big for us,” said Jarell Martin.

“His energy at both ends of the floor was great.”

“We had both of our bigs out due to fouls, and Craig stepped up. When guys go down, we need the next man stepping up and we’ve got those players on this team.”

Brisbane had averaged 100.7 points over their previous six games, so it was no surprise that the Bullets kept coming in the fourth quarter, with Sobey and Vic Law (23 points, nine rebounds) firing away to keep the scoreboard ticking over. But the Kings had an answer every time down the stretch.

Law scored inside to make it 110-106 to Sydney with two minutes left, but Ware put the game to bed with back-to-back triples, pushing the Kings’ lead to 10 points, and Moller closed out his great game with three free throws giving Sydney a win that takes them to 7-8 in NBL21.

The Kings shot the ball at 54% from the field, hit 15 three pointers for a 55% return from long distance and were an impressive 14 of 16 from the free throw line. Remarkably, 48 hours after scoring just 69 points in a loss to Illawarra, Sydney scored a whopping 71 points in the second half alone in this one.

And to top it all off, their 119 points were the most ever scored by the Sydney Kings in a non-overtime game during the NBL’s 40-minute era, with only their 123 in a double-overtime loss to Townsville in the 2015/16 season topping Saturday’s night’s offensive output.

It was a great bounce back win for the team to close out their NBL Cup, and the Kings finally travel back to Sydney for two games next week in Round 10 action at Qudos Bank Arena. On Friday night at 7:30pm AEDT the team faces a blockbuster confrontation against Melbourne United before a game on Sunday afternoon at 5:00pm AEDT against the Cairns Taipans. Tickets for both games are on sale now via Ticketek.

Rise With Us Sydney.

SYDNEY KINGS 119 (Ware 25, Martin 21, Moller 15)
BRISBANE BULLETS 108 (Sobey 35, Law 23, Hodgson 12) at John Cain Arena, Melbourne.

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