Sore import Adams fires as Kings roll Phoenix in NBL
Star import Jaylen Adams shrugged off an injury scare as the Sydney Kings sent a stark warning to their NBL title rivals with a 103-92 road win over South East Melbourne.
The Kings stunned a sold-out crowd at the State Basketball Centre on Wednesday night when they poured in 62 first-half points and led by as much as 23 during the third period.
Kouat Noi (24 points) led all scorers for Brian Goorjian’s side who resisted a late Phoenix fightback, with Cam Oliver (16 points, seven rebounds) and Adams (20 points, nine assists, four steals) also significant contributors.
Sydney improved to 16-10 with their third-straight victory, completing a season sweep of the Phoenix in the process and remaining in the hunt for a top-two finish.
It was the third-placed Kings’ fifth win in their past six outings, ahead of an important home clash with Adelaide on Friday night.
But Adams’ back issue is some cause for concern with just two regular-season games left to play.
The star import and NBL22 MVP, who missed games earlier in the season with a lower back complaint, required treatment during the third quarter.
He returned off the bench in the final period and made a series of huge plays down the stretch, but will no doubt be monitored closely in coming days.
Bul Kuol (14 points) fired Sydney to an early double-digit lead as both benches burnt their coaches’ challenges during the opening period.
Nathan Sobey led a Phoenix fightback with 21 points in the first half but sat down for the final two minutes as two huge Oliver dunks, a pair of threes from Noi and another by Adams blew the score out to 62-45 in the visitors’ favour.
Noi had 18 points off the bench at that stage and the lead blew out to 23 points during the third period before the Phoenix made a serious run.
They got within seven points with more than three minutes left on the clock but couldn’t complete the comeback, slipping to a 14-11 record in fifth place.
Sobey finished with 28 points but South East Melbourne’s top scorer Matt Hurt (11 points, 10 rebounds) lacked his usual impact when the game was on the line.
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