Kings lock in for biggest ever win over United

Result: Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings 103 Melbourne United 75

Stats That Matter:Kings 57% FG; Kings 24 assists; Kings 50 points in the paint; Kings 32 bench points.

Kings MVP:Jordan Hunter was sensational in the middle for the purple and gold.

Turning Point:An 11-2 run midway through the second quarter set the tone for an historic blowout.

The game was over when:The Kings led by 29 points with one quarter remaining.

Trending in the right direction:Sydney’s depth. No less than 10 players hit the scoresheet for the Kings.

It was an historic Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena as the Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings put on a show for their home fans with a devastating 103-75 win over the previously league-leading Melbourne United.

The 28-point margin represented Sydney’s biggest ever win over United, who dropped their fourth straight game to fall to second place on the NBL ladder.

All five starters scored in double figures and ten players got on the scoresheet for the Kings, who shot 57% from the field, had 24 assists on 40 made field goals and restricted Melbourne to their equal second lowest score ever against the purple and gold.

After a back and forth first quarter, the Kings put United to the sword in a second period onslaught, when they outscored Melbourne 35-18 to take a 60-39 halftime advantage.

It was arguably the best quarter that Sydney has played this season, as they got it done on both ends of the floor. An opening 12-4 run featuring threes from Brad Newley and Shaun Bruce got the ball rolling and the Kings kept pouring it on for the 5,089 in attendance, who got louder by the second with every score by the home team and gave them a standing ovation as they headed to the rooms.

Importantly, there was no letup after the main break. Sydney kept the hammer down in the third period, with everyone on the roster contributing at both ends of the floor and Melbourne helpless to stem the tide. The Kings outscored United 27-19 in the quarter to lead by 29 points with ten minutes remaining.

From there it was purely academic, with Coach Forde able to get his development players Archie Woodhill and Jaylin Galloway plenty of burn in the fourth quarter in what was the team’s most complete performance of NBL21.

“It’s something we harped on a lot this week – we have these flashes of brilliance and then these moments of confusion,” Head Coach Adam Forde said.

“So, it was a big focus. We talked about it during the week and we made some adjustments on how we want to do things defensively and on the offensive end.”

“The guys really got after it. The energy of guys backing up your teammate – I mean you’ve got ‘Kicks’ taking a charge with two minutes left.”

“The energy, one through twelve, was great.”

Hunter led the way for the Kings with 18 points including a couple of monster jams, at least breaking even in his matchup with Melbourne’s Jock Landale as the Sydney big man continues to press his claims for the NBL Most Improved Award at the end of the season.

“He’s a big focus for them so it was just knowing that he’s a tough matchup and a great player,” Hunter said of Landale.

“I spent a lot of years playing against him in college so there was a rapport there.”

“They run a lot of offence through him, so I had to be ready to go at all times and we trapped in the post so I didn’t have to do it alone.”

On a night where everyone in purple and gold did their jobs extremely well, Sydney also got 15 points and six rebounds from big man Jarell Martin, Didi Louzada was excellent at both ends and impacted the scoresheet with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists, Casper Ware produced 13 points, five rebounds and six assists and Dejan Vasiljevic finished with 11 points.

And the bench produced mightily all night, led by Craig Moller, who had yet another outstanding game with nine points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

The Kings jump to .500 on the season with their impressive victory, unquestionably their best of the season, and in the aftermath, Jordan Hunter paid tribute to a Sydney fanbase that has waited so patiently for their beloved Kings to come home and were rewarded with a terrific display.

“It was electric,” Jordan said.

“It was nice and relaxing to get home, be in your own bed and get some home cooking, but getting out there was really fiery and it got us going from the jump.”

Adam Forde added his thanks for the fans showing up on a miserable night in Sydney.

“I appreciate everyone coming out, in that Sydney traffic, and with a weather warning,” Coach Forde said.

“It was amazing to be home.”

The Kings will close Round 10 with their second home game of the round at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon against the Cairns Taipans. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00pm AEDT and tickets for the game are on sale now via Ticketek.

Rise With Us Sydney.

SYDNEY KINGS 103 (Hunter 18, Martin 15, Louzada 14)
MELBOURNE UNITED 75 (Landale 18, McCarron 17, Ili 12) at Qudos Bank Arena.

BOXSCORE