Sydney Kings Reign Supreme Over New Zealand Breakers With Late Surge
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Sydney Kings Reign Supreme Over New Zealand Breakers With Late Surge

The Sydney Kings staged a sensational late assault to storm past the New Zealand Breakers 92-84 in a thrilling NBL matchup at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Friday night. In a game filled with momentum swings, it was the Kings who had the final say, unleashing a devastating 16-3 run in the closing minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Noi, Toohey & Adams Lead Kings’ Charge

Kouat Noi provided the spark off the Kings’ bench, catching fire for a game-high 26 points. Rising star Alex Toohey continued his impressive form with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. But it was import Jaylen Adams who delivered the knockout blows down the stretch, nearly posting a triple-double with 17 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds.

Who knows what’s going to happen from here, but we have positioned ourselves nicely. We’ve got a nice record, we’re sitting in a nice spot. I like the way we’re progressing.

Kings coach Brian Goorjian

Breakers’ Bright Spots in Defeat

For the snake-bitten Breakers, who have now dropped seven straight, there were still positives to take away. Point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright was brilliant with 25 points and 8 assists before a costly late turnover. 17-year-old Next StarKarim Lopez tallied 18 points and showed flashes of his immense potential before exiting with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Wild Momentum Swings

The Kings jumped out to an early 9-4 lead behind Toohey’s hot hand, only for NZ to counter with a 13-0 blitz sparked by Lopez’s energy on both ends. Sydney battled back to tie it up at 42-all late in the second quarter, but Jackson-Cartwright beat the halftime buzzer with an off-balance three to put the Breakers up 51-44 at the break.

NZ stretched the margin to nine before Sydney clawed ahead with a 10-0 spurt. The see-saw affair continued with the Breakers taking a narrow edge into the final frame after Max Darling’s buzzer-beating triple to close the third.

Kings’ Comeback & Costly Crunch-Time Mistakes

Momentum continued to ebb and flow in the fourth, with Tacko Fall and Max Darling throwing down emphatic dunks to push NZ’s lead to five inside the final three minutes. That’s when Sydney made their winning surge, embarking on a game-breaking 16-3 tear.

Adams was the catalyst, scoring 8 points during the pivotal run, including inducing a critical Jackson-Cartwright turnover with 23 seconds left that effectively sealed the Breakers’ fate.

We lost our poise. We stopped sharing the ball, we lost patience. Small details in the end. But we gave them a fight. That’s why this one hurts.

Breakers coach Petteri Koponen

What It Means

The cardiac Kings, who improved to 11-7, have now won three straight and sit comfortably in third place. Coach Goorjian’s squad seems to be hitting their stride at the right time as they gear up for an NBL title push.

Meanwhile, at 5-12, the reeling Breakers remain mired in a frustrating slump and will need to regroup quickly to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. With the standings tightening up, every game takes on added significance heading into the NBL’s stretch run.