Kings shift focus to quick rebound against Bullets

Through the first 20 minutes of Thursday's round 14 fixture with Melbourne United at Qudos Bank Arena, the Sydney Kings played solid basketball on both ends of the floor - seeing them hold a two-point advantage at the main break.

But a huge third quarter by the league-leading visitors handed the Kings their ninth loss of the season, which sees them drop to fourth on the ladder.

Assistant coach Fleur McIntyre is confident her Hoops Capital side will learn from the defeat and use it as fuel during the last third of the season.

"They [Melbourne] hit some tough shots and we missed some open threes which deflated us but our intent and intensity and physicality dropped in the third quarter," McIntyre said.

GRAB YOUR TICKETS TO THE KINGS' HOME MATCHES NOW

"We let missed shots dictate our defence.

"We have to be able to be mentally tougher when teams make runs or our shots aren’t falling to lock in defensively and execute offensively to keep getting looks at the rim.

"[Despite that] positives [from the game] were our intent, physicality and focus in the first half - we somehow need to be able to consistently produce that for an entire game."

Thankfully for two-time NBL champion McIntyre and her harbour city outfit, they get a chance to do so on Sunday, when they host Brisbane at Qudos Bank Arena from 3.45pm AEDT.

"[The Bullets are] another good defensive team, loaded with tough guards and bigs, so the focus offensively will be on our spacing, rebounding and ability to put pressure on the rim," the Perth native said.

"Defensively - [Nathan] Sobey is a huge focus with the numbers and shots he’s getting this season, but we can’t take possessions off, there needs to be a collective intent to defend regardless of what the scoreboard indicates."

READ MORE: PINK HOOPS A CAUSE CLOSE TO HUNTER'S HEART

This fixture will be the second show during the club's third double-header for the 2023-24 season, with the Sydney Flames battling Melbourne from 1.15pm.

"A double-header of the WNBL/NBL is such an incredible opportunity to showcase both leagues at once to our fans, and Sydney," she said.

"The Flames are playing some great basketball, so to be able to showcase both teams and see top-tier basketball at Qudos Bank Arena is a wonderful initiative by Hoops Capital."

Tickets for this huge afternoon of hoops are still available here.