Kings end regular season with defeat to Wildcats

The Sydney Kings tasted defeat in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, going down 96-84 to the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena. 

Despite the result, which marks the Kings’ first double-digit defeat of NBL23, the reigning champions remain in top spot, while Perth edge Melbourne United by less than one percentage point to secure sixth place. 

Match summary 

In a tense opening few minutes, Sydney (starting Shaun Bruce for the injured Derrik Walton Jr) began the stronger, leading 7-5, as Perth only hit one of their first 12 shots from the field. The Kings’ aggressive to get on the rim kept the scoreboard ticking over, leading by four just over halfway through the term. Solid impact by bench players Angus Glover, Kouat Noi and Jackson Makoi kept the Hoops Capital side’s noses in front – leading 21-16 after the first 10 minutes of action. 

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The harbour city side started sluggish in the second, missing numerous shots and handing over sloppy turnovers, allowing Perth to draw level (21-all). But dunks by Jordi Hunter and Xavier Cooks in quick succession helped the Kings regain their lead. That was short-lived, as a Brady Manek triple capped a Wildcats’ 7-0 run, to see them lead 31-30 with 3.16 to play. From there, the hosts pressed on to half-time, behind a barrage of triples, to lead 40-36 at the main break 

With their finals spot on the line, John Rillie’s side scored 13 of the first 21 points of the quarter, to extend their lead to nine points. But the Kings didn’t go away, with timely scores from Justin Simon, Cooks and Makoi dragging them back to within four. As the term ticked down, sparkplug Corey Webster ignited a 10-0 run for the Cats, helping them carry a 12-point lead into the final change. 

Any chances of a quick fightback by Sydney were scuppered by an 11-5 run by the hosts in the first 2.22 of the fourth period, as the lead grew to 18. It ballooned to more than 20 when Manek hit his fourth shot for downtown before he set up Luke Travers for a two-handed jam. Consecutive driving scores by Glover, Simon (two) and Vasiljevic closed the margin to 16 – which quickly became 13 (91-78) when Glover nailed a three with 2.46 to play. A Vasiljevic effort from downtown soon after made it 92-84 but free-throws down the stretch by Manek sealed the 12-point win – which secured the Wildcats’ spot in the post-season. 

Where the match was decided 

Despite shooting a better percentage (47-41) from the field, the Kings suffered their ninth defeat of the season as the Wildcats landed 12 triples to four and hit 18/20 of their free-throws (compared to 12/21 for Sydney). 

Other statistical wins for Perth included rebounds (44-42), assists (20-16), steals (8-5) blocks (4-0), second-chance points (13-7) and points off turnovers (22-12) - while turning the ball over less (13-17). 

Key moment  

The second and third quarters belonged to the hosts, outscoring the Kings 53-36 during those 20 minutes – behind lethal shooting from downtown. 

Player of the game 

In the defeat, sharpshooter Vasiljevic scored a team-high 18 points (including three triples), seven rebounds and two assists. 

MVP nominee Cooks was the only other King to score in double figures, with 15 points, three rebounds and one dime. 

What’s next 

Next up for Buford’s side, who finished the as regular season champions with a 19-9 record, is a post-season tilt – starting in the Semi-Final Play Off Series, following the Play-In Round. 

To ensure you don't miss any of the action at Qudos Bank Arena, from 7.45pm, Sunday, February 5, full-season members will first be offered the chance to purchase their same seats (with this pre-sale ending at 7am Tuesday, February 7). 

Then from 11am on February 7, all Kings members including partial season members will be able to purchase tickets. 

From 4pm Tuesday, February 7, the general public will be able to access the remaining tickets for the Kings' finals charge. 

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