Three-point barrage helps Bullets defeat Kings

The Sydney Kings have ended their 2023 NBL Blitz campaign with a 105-76 loss to the Brisbane Bullets on Friday night at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. 

Match summary 

The Kings raced out of the blocks to lead 4-nil, thanks to early buckets by Denzel Valentine and Jordi Hunter. But the Bullets rattled off nine of the next 13 to lead 9-8 midway through the period. That Bullets’ lead grew to 17-13 behind strong play by DJ Mitchell and Sam McDaniel, before Angus Glover, Kouat Noi and Isaac Gattorna sparked the Hoops Capital side to a 22-21 lead after one quarter. 

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Eight straight points by Jaylin Galloway early in the second kept the Kings’ noses in front (33-29). A 16-3 Bullets run followed, led by a barrage of triples by the Queenslanders – seeing them move ahead 45-36. A buzzer-beater by Alex Toohey closed the margin to just five (45-40) at the main break. 

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Five quick points by Valentine levelled the score at 47-all but it was all Bullets for the next few minutes, as they went out to a 58-49 advantage. Timely baskets by Noi and Shaun Bruce closed the deficit to six midway through the term. But 10 quick points by McDaniels, including back-to-back triples, saw Justin Schueller’s side lead 70-60 at the final change. 

Despite early triples by Valentine and Jaylen Adams, the Kings couldn’t close the margin, as Shannon Scott (two) and Chris Smith both hit threes of their own. Adams and Toohey continued to toil hard and keep the scoreboard ticking over but the harbour city side couldn’t get any stops on the other end, with Brisbane scoring 26 of the first 39 points in the period. That onslaught continued as the clock ran down, as Brisbane won 105-76. 

Where the match was decided 

The Bullets dominated the Kings in the key shooting categories of field goal percentage (63-48 per cent), three-point percentage (61-25) and free-throw percentage (87-76). 

They also won the statistical categories of three-pointers (16-8), rebounds (35-30), assists (25-21), steals (9-5), points in the paint (44-36), and bench points (48-28). 

Key moment  

Key runs in both the second and third terms, where the Bullets went on big stretches of outscoring the Kings by double digits, proved to be the difference between the two sides. 

Player of the game 

With the game in the balance, Valentine did all he could to drag the Kings back into the contest – seeing him finish with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and one block. 

Others to score in double figures for the purple and gold were Jonah Bolden and Hunter (both 10). 

What’s next 

Abdelfattah’s side will now shift their attention to Saturday’s season-opener against the Illawarra Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre – tipping off at 8pm AEST. 

The round one fixture will be broadcast live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel.