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A spirited Sydney fightback was ultimately no match for the star-studded Adelaide 36ers who will live to fight another day in the NBL playoffs.
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Without captain Xavier Cooks after a much-publicised provisional suspension earlier in the week, the Kings came back from as much as 16 points down to take the lead in the fourth.
That’s when Adelaide’s class came to the fore, holding the Kings to just 10 points in the first nine minutes of the final term to close out a 95-88 victory.
Montrezl Harrell gave the fans at Qudos Bank Arena a send off, waving and blowing kisses to them as the 36ers booked their ticket to Melbourne to take on the Phoenix on Sunday for a spot in the final four.
Kendric Davis starred with 24 points, including eight in the fourth, while his sparring partner Jaylen Adams tried his best to keep the Kings’ season alive, dropping 30 points and 10 assists in the loss.
KINGS SHAKE OFF EARLY NERVES
Coming in as underdogs on their home court has been a rarity for the Kings in recent years and you could tell there was a sense of tension in the air early.
Sydney just couldn’t get the ball to drop, going 1-12 from the field in the first six minutes, before nailing five field goals in succession to take a narrow advantage.
Just as it looked like the Kings would hold court ahead of the second term, Davis hit a three on the buzzer to put the 36ers ahead 23-22.
DJ MAKES KINGS PAY
There was a clear intent from the Kings to double Harrell in the first half, but more often than not it backfired.
Dejan Vasilijevic was left wide open multiple times to do what he does best and drain the long ball.
DJ was able to catch fire, hitting five of his eight attempts from long range in the first half as the 36ers raced out to a 51-41 lead at the main break.
SPACE CAM TAKES FLIGHT
We’ve seen glimpses of Cam Oliver’s best scattered throughout the season, but as the key big in Sydney’s line-up, he made the third his own.
A few big plays helped to spark a 15-2 run that saw the Kings overcome a 12-point deficit to take a two-point advantage into the final quarter.
Oliver had five rebounds in the term as Sydney owned the boards, an area Adelaide crucified them in during their last meeting.
