The Sydney Kings have taken Game Two of the NBL Championship series against the New Zealand Breakers, despite injury concerns for two of their stars.
The Kings entered the game with massive injury clouds over Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr., with the pair both missing the fourth quarter of Game One.
The pair started the game but didn’t last long, with Cooks registering nine minutes whilst Walton Jr. was subbed out after just four.
The Kings carried on without their stars, excelling on the defensive side and running out to a 21-9 lead to end the first quarter.
Spurred on by the home fans, the Breakers flipped the momentum on the Kings and clawed their way back into the game after 21-13 second quarter, sending them into the break behind by just four points.
As per the script, the Kings dominated the third quarter, holding the Breakers to just 11 points whilst extending their lead to 16 heading into the final period of play.
New Zealand came out with a point to prove in the fourth, putting on an offensive clinic but it was their defence that let them down and allowed the Kings to maintain their strong lead.
On the back of DJ Vasiljevic’s 16 points and Kouat Noi’s 20, the Kings held on for a seven-point victory.
Both sides will now travel back to Sydney for a crucial Game Three on Friday night.