Three-point barrage helps Kings defeat Bullets

The Sydney Kings secured their third win of the NBL24 season on Friday, downing the Brisbane Bullets 113-102 at Nissan Arena in round three. 

Match summary 

The Kings and Bullets both scored on their first two trips down the court, which saw 17 points (10-7 to Brisbane) in the opening 2.14 minutes of the game. Jaylen Adams then started to cook, giving the visitors a 15-12 lead. Bench impact by Jonah Bolden and Kouat Noi saw the Hoops Capital side’s lead grow to 22-14 before Shaun Bruce nailed a two as time expired to give the purple and gold a 29-25 lead after one. 

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The hot shooting by the Bullets saw them close to within one but quick-fire replies by Denzel Valentine, Adams and Jaylin Galloway from downtown extended the harbour city side’s lead to nine (42-33). An Alex Toohey triple pushed that advantage out to double-digits, which was added to yet another three by the red-hot Noi. Late free throws by Toohey put the Kings up 56-42 at half-time (helped by hitting 10 threes through the first 20 minutes). Of particular note was the play of Bolden, who arguably had his best half in Kings colours. 

Behind Adams and Jordi Hunter, Mahmoud Abdelfattah’s troops scored six of the first eight points of the term – seeing the lead grow. But the Bullets wouldn’t go away, dragging it back to eight points before a clutch settler by Adams (making it 67-57 midway through the term). A creative putback by Bolden and spin cycle into a dunk by Toohey put the two-time reigning amps up by 16, before and-ones by Adams and the Kings’ NBL Next Star kept the lead heading north. A triple as time expired by DJ Mitchell cancelled a late bucket by Angus Glover – as Sydney led 85-67 at the final change. 

Early triples by Bolden and Galloway saw the margin extend further in the fourth but Nathan Sobey and Chris Smith sparked a fightback for the hosts. As efficient as the Kings were from downtown, it was their defence down the stretch that proved pivotal. Smith’s fifth three and a Sobey lay-up brought it back to just nine points, but Bolden’s clutch corner shot settled the nerves of Kings’ fans. A big-time and-one in the final minute iced the contest for the Kings – running out winners 113-102. 

Where the match was decided 

The Kings secured the win thanks to statistical wins in field goal percentage (53-49), rebounds (44-36), assists (25-22), steals (10-8), blocks (5-2), seocnd chance points (10-4) and bench points (36-25) - all while hitting an equal second-most amount of triples ever by a Kings team in the 40-minute era (16). 

Key moment  

The Kings went to another level in the second period, outscoring their rivals by 10 points – which allowed them to push on and secure win number three of the season. 

Player of the game 

Adams was back to his MVP ways on Friday night, tallying 26 points (on 9-16 shooting), three rebounds, three assists and two steals in the victory. 

Other standouts in the triumph were Toohey (18 points on 7-8 shooting), Galloway (16 points), Valentine (15), Noi (14) and Bolden (12). 

Watch Alex Toohey and Mahmoud Abdelfattah break down the Kings' round three win over Brisbane via Sydney Kings' YouTube channel above. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe, to ensure you never miss out on any of our great videos.

What’s next 

Abdelfattah’s side, who are now 3-1, return to Sydney this Sunday to take on Perth – in their second home game at Qudos Bank Arena in NBL24. 

Tickets for the 3.45pm class on October 15 are still available here.