Kings lose Freeway Series clash to Hawks in Wollongong

The Sydney Kings have suffered their second loss to Illawarra in NBL25, going down 86-79 at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night. 

Match summary 

Illawarra scored the first seven points of the match before Izayah Le’afa nailed a triple and a setback jumper. A Jaylen Adams three ensued to cap an 8-0 and give Brian Goorjian’s side their first lead of the match. Instant impact by Cam Oliver and Kouat Noi kept the Kings’ scoring ticking along in the all NSW affair. At the end of one, nothing could separate the two, with the score being 22-all. 

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Jaylen Adams’ lay-in opened proceedings in the second before Xavier Cooks skied for a two-hand jam, off a sharp Adams’ pass. Another triple by Noi gave the visitors a 29-26 lead and forced Justin Tatum to call a time-out. Despite a huge putback dunk by Cooks, the hosts rattled off eight of the next 11, to go up 34-32 with 4.30 to play. Hyunjung Lee then caught fire for Illawarra, as the hosts’ lead grew to nine. An Adams three stopped the drought but the Hoops Capital side still trailed 44-35 at the main break. 

That lead grew to 14 following scores by Sam Froling and Trey Kell III. The lob-sided foul count and unforced errors by the Kings saw the deficit grow to 15 with 6.49 in the third to play. A three-point play by Oliver did little to slow the momentum, as a Lachlan Olbrich bucket made it 61-42. Oliver’s four-point play, followed by Alex Toohey’s lay-in sparked a mini-run for the purple and gold. At the death, an Adams triple was cancelled out by a Kell effort, as the Hawks led by 13 at the final change. 

Another Wani Swaka Lo Buluk shot from downtown got the Hawks going in the fourth but Adams and Noi ensured the Kings stayed within striking distance. Excellent defence by the Kings, combined with four quick ones by Adams saw the margin close to seven. A pair of Cooks free-throws followed by an Oliver triple made it 75-73. That proved to be as close as the Kings got, as the Hawks ended the game on an 11-6 run, to win by seven points. 

Where the match was decided 

Sydney lost the Indigenous Round fixture on the back of inferior field goal percentage (45-32), three-point percentage (41-33), rebounds (44-40) and points in the paint (26-20). 

Key moment 

A 22-13 second quarter by the hosts proved pivotal in the result, as the Kings never got their noses in front after that. 

Player of the game 

Adams (23 points, six rebounds, six steals and three rebounds) led the way for the Kings and was one of four players, being joined by Oliver (16), Noi (15) and Cooks (12). 

What’s next 

Goorjian’s team, who are now 7-6, now have FIBA break before heading to Cairns on Friday, November 29 to face the Taipans from 7.30pm AEDT – live on ESPN. 

The Hoops Capital side’s next home game is on Sunday, December 15 against Brisbane from 4.15pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena. 

Tickets to that game are still available here.