The Sydney Kings have made an impressive start to their NBL25 campaign, with a dominant 120-76 pre-season win over the New Zealand Breakers at Quaycentre on Friday night.
The Sydney Kings have made an impressive start to their NBL25 campaign, with a dominant 120-76 pre-season win over the New Zealand Breakers at Quaycentre on Friday night.
Match summary
Strong play from debutant Izayah Le’afa and NBL Next Star Alex Toohey got the Kings off to a fast start, before the returning Xavier Cooks chimed in to make it 19-7 to the hosts midway through the first term. Contributions from Kouat Noi and Makuach Maluach kept the scoreboard ticking over for Brian Goorjian’s before Cam Oliver capped a solid first stint on court as King with a buzzer-beater to end the first period – as the Hoops Capital side led 29-16 after one. 
The lead was extended after the harbour city side scored seven of the first nine points of the term, as Cooks started to dominate in his first game back in the purple and gold. NBL23 MVP Jaylen Adams ensured he wasn’t missing out on the fun, by hitting a deep three and weaving his magic on the court with plenty of sharp passes. The Kings impressive defence led to a huge dunk by Oliver, before Keli Leaupepe nailed a triple – to extend the hosts’ lead to 47-24. Late buckets by Shaun Bruce and Oliver ensured Sydney went into the main break up big (60-32).
Driving baskets by Adams and Leaupepe kept Sydney’s momentum going in the second half but Mojave King started to come alive for the visitors, as the Breakers opened the term on an 11-5 run. A Grant Anticevich triple made it a 17-point game, but the reintroduction of Noi and Oliver steadied the ship for Sydney, as the hosts finished the term on a 24-8 run (capped by a Tyler Robertson triple) – to give Goorjian’s troops a 33-point lead heading into the final term.
In the fourth, Noi opened the hosts’ scoring with another triple, which was followed by Jason Spurgin’s first bucket as a King and scores from Maluach and Robertson. The latter started to cook for the hosts, producing numerous scores as Maluach was doing it on both end of the floor for Goorjian’s side. In the end, the Kings proved way too strong in their first hit-out on NBL25, winning by 44 points.
Where the match was decided
The Kings claimed the big victory on the back of dominant statistical wins in field goal percentage (63-38), assists (29-18), steals (12-1), points in the paint (50-26), points off turnovers (25-12), bench points (70-32) and fast-break points (19-6) – while forcing the Breakers into 19 turnovers.
Key moment
A dominant first quarter by the Kings, in which they scored 29 points and restricted their opponents to just 16, laid the platform for a strong pre-season victory for Sydney.
Player of the game
In his first game as a King, Oliver was electric off the bench, producing numerous highlight plays on his way to 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
Other standouts for the Hoops Capital side were Noi (19), Leaupepe (16 points), Robertson (14), Maluach (14), Toohey (12) and Cooks (11 – while Bruce handed out 10 dimes.
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