Kings outlast Hawks to clean sweep Freeway Series

For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Sydney Kings have clean swept the Freeway Series by defeating NSW rivals Illawarra 84-79 at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday. 

The Adrian Hurley Cup victory, which cements the Kings’ spot on top of the NBL ladder, was in front of 12,986 – marking the Kings' biggest crowd of NBL23. 

That makes four straight home matches in excess of 11,000 fans, which is the first the franchise has ever achieved. 

Match summary 

The Kings missed their first four shots but quickly turned things around to go on an 8-0 run, sparked by the magic of Derrick Walton Jr. But then the Hawks’ own spark-plug Tyler Harvey scored a quick five points of his own, as the visitors led 15-10. That lead continued to grow, as Jacob Jackomas’ troops led by as many as 12 in the first quarter but a three-pointer as time expired by Jaylin Galloway made it 24-19 at the first break. 

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Neither team added to their scores for more than two minutes before a two-handed jam by Xavier Cooks got the Kings rolling, who then went on a 7-0 run – capped by a Justin Simon dunk. A triple at the end of the term by Kouat Noi ensured the Hoops Capital side went into the break equal at 37-all – marking the Kings’ lowest-scoring half of NBL23. 

The league leaders stepped it up after the break, rattling off 13 of the first 16 points to move out to a 49-40 lead – thanks largely to Walton and Tim Soares. The visitors fought back though and made it a five-point game. That was short-lived though, as Angus Glover and Noi powered the hosts to a 63-54 lead at the final change. 

Another run (4-0) by the Kings, highlighted by a Galloway dunk, pushed the harbour city side’s lead to 13. The Hawks wouldn’t go away though, with more triples from Harvey and Lachlan Dent powering the Hawks to nine consecutive points – closing the margin to just two. Down the stretch, Harvey landed a triple of way downtown to make it 77-all but clutch baskets and free-throws by US import Walton, as well as a huge deflection off the rim by Cooks and tough team defence, sealed the five-point win and their sixth on the trot.

Where the match was decided 

The Kings chalked up their 17th win of the season thanks to statistical victories in field goal percentage (46-39), free-throw percentage (77-50), rebounds (44-40), assists (19-16), points in the paint (44-28), second chance points (12-6), bench points (32-18) and fast break points (10-2). 

Key moment 

The third quarter, also known as the championship quarter, proved to be the difference on Sunday, with the Kings outscoring their interstate rivals by nine during the 10-minute period. 

Players of the game 

The two standouts in the win were Soares and Walton Jr. 

The Brazilian international totalled 15 points and six rebounds, while the Michigan product tallied 19 points, seven dimes, four rebounds and one steal. 

They were well-supported by bench duo Galloway (13) and Noi (12). 

What’s next 

The first-placed harbour city side, who are now 17-5, will hit the road in round 16, travelling to Perth for the first time in NBL23 – to battle the Wildcats on Friday night from 9.30pm AEDT. 

Following that road fixture, Buford’s side returns home to face the Breakers for their NBL23 Heritage Round match, where they’ll wear uniforms honouring Kings’ sides from the early 1990s. 

Tickets to the fixture, tipping off at 4pm Sunday, January 22, are still available here.