Noi sparks Kings to Freeway Series win against Hawks

The Sydney Kings have opened their title defence on a winning note by downing the Illawarra Hawks 96-81 at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday, September 30. 

Match summary 

Milestone man Jordi Hunter and Jaylin Galloway set the tone early for the Kings with two slams, as the Kings led 8-2 early. Returning NBL22 MVP Jaylen Adams then rattled off six straight to keep the Hoops Capital side’s lead intact before a Tyler Harvey triple gave the hosts their first advantage (15-13) of the season-opener. Unforced turnovers by the Kings slowed them temporarily but strong plays by Kouat Noi and Angus Glover helped Sydney lead 26-24 after one quarter. 

GRAB YOUR TICKETS TO THE KINGS' HOME MATCHES NOW

The two-time reigning champions scored the first seven points of the third, through Adams, Alex Toohey and Makuach Maluach, as the lead stretched to nine. Harvey brought it back to four for the Hawks before another Noi triple made it 37-30 midway through the period. Suspect foul calls kept Illawarra in the contest late in the term but a big three by Jonah Bolden (playing his first-ever NBL game) and tough floater by Adams extended the purple and gold’s lead to 10. A late thunderous dunk by Jaylin Galloway ensured the Kings led 51-39 at half-time. 

A 7-4 run, capped by a Hunter triple, to start the third made it a 15-point game before Illawarra rattled off eight straight – making 58-51 midway through the third quarter. A time-out by Mahmoud Abdelfattah stemmed the flow before 13-2 run, highlighted by clutch threes by Denzel Valentine and Noi, made it 71-53. Daniel Grida pulled the hosts back with three quick buckets, as it stood at 74-64 at the final change. 

An early three by Adams and dunk by Galloway extended the defending champion’s lead to 15. That was short-lived as Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Grida nailed shots from downtown, reducing the margin to single digits. Despite a big three by Harvey (which made it 81-75), it was quickly cancelled out by the on-fire Noi – who added another two triples to his collection to make it 92-78 with just under three to play. Late daggers by Adams sealed the 96-81 and started the Kings’ title defence on a winning note - while handing the Hawks their 16 loss from its past 17 games.

Where the match was decided 

Abdelfattah’s first win in the win was set-up by statistical wins by the Kings in field goal percentage (50 to 83 per cent), three-point percentage (44-33), assists (20-12) and points off turnovers (34-21) - to move up 1-nil in the Adrian Hurley Cup series.

Key moment  

The 13-2 run by the Kings in the middle of the third period proved critical for the purple and gold, who never looked back from that stretch to record their first win of NBL23. 

Player of the game 

NSW product Noi was near unconscious from downtown for the Kings, nailing 6-8 from downtown on his way to 23 points off the bench – to go along with his four rebounds, one assist and one block. 

Other standouts were Adams (20 points, three boards, three dimes and two steals), Galloway (18 points, five steals and one rebound), Hunter (12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks) and Valentine (eight points, 10 dimes, seven rebounds, two steals and one block). 

What’s next 

Abdelfattah’s side, who are now 1-0, will now turn their attention to Friday night’s road game against the Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena – tipping off at 7.30pm AEST. 

The round two fixture, between the two NBL22 grand finalists, will be broadcast live on ESPN via Kayo Sports.