Kings come out on top over Hawks in pre-season clash

Result: Sydney Kings 98 The Hawks 89

Stats that matter: Kings 47% FG; Rebound count Kings 46 Hawks 42; Bench points Kings 52 Hawks 26

Kings MVP: Didi Louzada played just 19 minutes but showed he will be a huge contributor to the Kings this season.

Turning Point: After leading by six at the half, the Kings turned on the jets in the third period, giving themselves enough of a cushion to secure the W.

The game was over when: Consecutive threes from youngsters Johnny Crnogorac and Chiir Maker in the final minute closed the game in style.

Trending in the right direction: Sydney’s depth, such a key last season, again showed its class with 52 points coming from the Kings’ reserves.

The Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings opened their NBL21 preseason on Sunday afternoon at Qudos Bank Arena with a solid 98-89 victory over the Hawks.

In an entertaining game that was held behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the purple and gold blew the game apart in an impressive third quarter performance, outscoring the visitors 29-17 to lead by 18 with one period remaining.

The Hawks staged a fourth quarter rally after the margin had extended to as much as 22, but Sydney held firm, and it was the four development players who pleasingly closed the game out with both Johnny Crnogorac and Chiir Maker dropping threes in the game’s final seconds.

New Kings’ import Jarell Martin was unavailable as he continues his mandatory quarantine period but Sydney’s big men, led by Craig Moller (eight points, eight rebounds), Daniel Kickert (12 points, five boards) and Jordan Hunter (seven points, three boards) did an excellent job against a big Hawks’ frontline, helping the Kings to win the battle of the boards 46-42.

The only slight concern to come out of the game was a second quarter foot injury suffered by key forward Xavier Cooks, who looked to have rolled his ankle and took no further part. However, the early loss of such an important cog in the line-up highlighted how the other players on the roster stood up, as first-year Sydney coach Adam Forde got a measure of bragging rights over the returning Brian Goorjian.

Played at a breakneck pace from start to finish, with both teams rotating heavily as expected, Sydney’s leaders were also prominent, from Casper Ware (10 points, four assists) and his defence and floor leadership, to Brad Newley (10 points) and his trademark attack on the rim and the steadiness and control of Shaun Bruce (14 points).

Ware showed again why he is one of the best two-way players in the competition with an excellent defensive effort on Hawks’ gunner Tyler Harvey, who lit up the Perth Wildcats in two preseason games but was restricted to just 11 points on 2 of 13 shooting from the field. Casper also had three steals and dropped a couple of threes in limited action.

Sydney’s new recruits also provided quality minutes. Rookie of the Year candidate Dejan Vasiljevic (seven points, three assists) struggled to find his range early but got more comfortable as the game wore on; Angus Glover (eight points, three rebounds) showed bounce – a nice throwdown in the first half underlining his athletic ability – and played hard defensively.

The Hawks were led by their Next Star Justinian Jessup, who stood out with a game-high 21 points, while former King Deng Deng added 16 points and nine rebounds.

Sydney’s next preseason opponent is unknown at this stage and the club will be making an announcement of the team’s upcoming schedule in due course.

SYDNEY KINGS 98 (Bruce 14, Louzada 13, Kickert 12)
THE HAWKS 89 (Jessup 21, Deng 16, Naar 12) at Qudos Bank Arena.

BOXSCORE