Second-half surge powers Kings to game three win in front of record crowd

The Sydney Kings are now just one win away from a second straight NBL championship, after smashing New Zealand 91-68 in Friday’s game three Grand Final fixture. 

The showdown also saw the hosts break the all-time NBL attendance record, with 18, 049 inside Qudos Bank Arena – marking the first time the Hoops Capital club has completely sold out the venue. 

Match summary 

In front of the massive crowd, the Kings raced out to an 8-5 lead thanks to two slams by centre Tim Soares. But three straight triples by the Breakers (including hits by Jarrell Brantley, Tom Abercrombie and Izayah Le'afa) sparked an 11-4 run by the visitors. Four quick ones by Angus Glover off the bench helped restore the Hoops Capital side’s lead. But that was short-lived, as Mody Moar’s troops scored six of the final nine points – to lead 24-22 at the first change. 

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Early shots from downtown by Dejan Vasiljevic and Jaylin Galloway kept the scoreboard ticking over for Sydney but Will McDowell-White and Brantley did the same for New Zealand, producing timely scores. Back-to-back tough lay-ups by Justin Simon put the Kings back in front, which was backed up by Derrick Walton Jr‘s five quick points. The two grand final sides then traded baskets before Barry Brown Jr landed consecutive shots from downtown, to give the Breakers a 47-43 at half-time. 

Sydney struggled to start the third, missing their first four shots, allowing the Breakers to start on a 5-0 run – which was responded by a quick 7-0 run by Chase Buford’s side. Sparked by Simon and Vasiljevic, the Kings drew level at 55-all midway through the term – with NBL23 MVP Xavier Cooks chiming in with a nasty putback dunk to cap the 7-2 run. Two free-throws by Michigan native Walton Jr allowed Sydney to regain the ascendancy. Despite Jordi Hunter fouling out in the dying moments of the third, Sydney led 67-59 at the final change – after winning the period 22-12. 

In the fourth, Brantley fouled out early on, allowing the purple and gold to extend their lead to 12 (71-59). A triple by Walton Jr and free-throw by Cooks made it a 16-point lead - which was followed by an emphatic and-one alley-oop by Soares. All these scores helped Sydney open the term on a 13-2, seeing the margin blow out to as many as 20. Down the stretch, both teams emptied their benches, as the reigning champions ran out victors 23-point winners. 

Where the match was decided 

The win was set-up by statistical victories by Sydney in field goal percentage (48-35), rebounds (46-32), assists (24-13), points in the paint (46-14) and second-chance points (14-0). 

Key moment  

The pivotal game three triumph was set up in the third quarter, which the Kings won 22-12 behind their lockdown defence – laying the platform for an impressive 48-21 second half ( in which the Kings only committed one turnover, compared to 12 in the first). 

That Breakers' second-half total of 21 is the lowest-scoring half by any side in NBL Grand Final history.

Player of the game 

Walton Jr controlled the tempo of the match from start to finish, ending the fixture with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds and one steal. 

He and the other four starters for the Kings all scored in double figures, including Vasiljevic (15), Soares (14), Simon (12) and Cooks (10). - with Glover also tallying 11 off the bench.

What’s next 

The Kings, who now lead the NBL23 Grand Final series 2-1, return to Auckland’s Spark Arena for game four of the Championship Series on Sunday, March 12. 

That fixture will tip-off at 4pm AEDT and can be viewed via Kayo Sports. 

Depending on the result, tickets for a potential game five at Qudos Bank Arena, which will tip-off at 7.30pm AEDT on Wednesday, March 15, will be available straight after the conclusion of game four – as explained here.