Simon proud of Kings' resilience

Sydney Kings import Justin Simon is proud of how his team showed resilience down the stretch during Sunday's top of the table clash with New Zealand.

After leading by as many as 22 points, the Breakers fought back to within one basket at the death - only for the Kings to hold on and win by four points at Spark Arena.

"We knew it [Sunday's game] was going to be a dogfight - they're a great team, who are rolling right now," Simon said.

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"On top of that, they're a physical team, who like to bump the cutters off the ball and are fighting to get over ball screens - all of their players really stuck to their script, which made it hard for us.

"This was a large part of why they fought back but to our credit, we showed plenty of poise down the stretch and got the job done."

The forward also down-played his woes from the free-throw line, where he shot 1/9 from the charity stripe.

"You just got to get back in the lab and work at it," said Simon, whose coach Chase Buford highlighted the amount of time Simon has spent practising his free-throws at training this season.

"At the start of the season, I shot really well from the line and this was just one of those games where the ball didn't bounce my way.

"Next game, I know I'll be better and moving forward I'm going to learn from it - I'm just happy it didn't hurt us."

Upon reflecting on his first six rounds with the Hoops Capital side as they head into the FIBA window, Simon is loving his time with the NBL22 champions.

"It's been great - coach has been awesome are relaying the messages so we're all on the same page," the St John's alum said.

"I honestly believe we're only scratching the surface and finding our way as a team.

"We're still searching for that complete game but with this tight-knit group, we know it's only just around the corner."

Simon and his Kings next take on Illawarra in game two of the NBL23 Adrian Hurley Cup on Sunday, November 20 at Qudos Bank Arena.