Despite a massive crowd cheering them on, the Sydney Kings couldn’t get past the Perth Wildcats on Friday night at the Kingdome, going down in a 76-75 heartbreaker to the league leaders.
The Kings controlled most of the game and stood up to the immense physical play and relentless pressure the Wildcats brought to the table, leading by 11 points with eight minutes to go before succumbing in a thrilling finish.
Graeme Dann had a pair of foul shots with less than a second remaining to either tie the game or send it into overtime, but unfortunately was just off the mark and Perth escaped to the groans of 7500 plus fans, who roared themselves hoarse in the final quarter but ultimately to no avail.
Graeme shouldn’t feel bad however, because missed free throws were the story of the game. Sydney went to the line an incredible 34 times but made just 18 foul shots, and in an agonisingly close game that proved a massive difference in the end. Two points in the last five minutes from the purple and gold didn’t help either.
“It was our game to win, and it’s as much a heartbreaker as last week (against Townsville) was, but that was in our control,” a rueful Sydney Kings’ coach Ian ‘Moose’ Robilliard said afterwards.
“There were two key areas that killed us – our free throw percentage and Perth’s offensive rebounding. It wasn’t Graeme’s fault – those were just two and there were 16 others.”
Sydney Kings’ captain Julian Khazzouh was shattered after another game slipped through the cracks.
“I think the thing we tried to do was protect our lead, and that’s the worst thing you can do when they get on a roll, and it’s always going to be tough when you try and build back up against a team that’s grabbed the momentum,” he said afterwards.
“We had a couple of looks that didn’t go down, but then Shawn Redhage gets those offensive boards and that’s probably the most disappointing part of that game.”
In a defensive struggle where neither team had any particular offensive standouts, Perth was led by big man Luke Nevill, who had 19 points and four boards, while Redhage finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, Jesse Wagstaff had 15 points and ex-King Cameron Tovey contributed an important 12 on six of eight shooting from the field.
The Kings got 17 points and eight rebounds from Jerai Grant, who thrilled the fans with some high-flying slams, while Anatoly Bose had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Ben Madgen played one of his best games of the season to finish with 16 points for Sydney unit that drops to 8-11 on the season and is now faced with the prospect of having to win seven of their last nine games to even have a chance at reaching the playoffs.
Both defences were strong and very active early, but the Kings were initially dealing with Perth’s extended press very well, and a jumper to Madgen and a pair of free throws to Grant gave the purple and gold a 5-2 lead with less than three minutes gone.
However, the Wildcats responded in aggressive fashion with a pair of baskets each to Tovey and seven foot big man Nevill helping the visitors to a 12-9 lead midway through the period, despite a Bose dunk that brought the crowd alive.
Luke Martin then provided a terrific spark off the bench, hitting a pair of jumpers for the Kings as the home team fought back to grab an 18-14 advantage with three minutes left to the first break.
The two time championship winning guard continued his hot streak with a beautiful up and under lay-in, and his seven points on three for three shooting keyed an outstanding quarter for the purple and gold as they raced to a 23-17 lead after one.
It was a pumped up Kings’ squad that ran on to the floor for the start of the second period, but the Wildcats upped their defensive intensity and it paid immediate dividends, with Nevill getting inside for a pair of buckets to help Perth tie it up at 25 with two minutes gone, forcing Coach Robilliard to call for time to get his troops refocused.
Perth kept pouring it on however, and extended their scoring run to 13-1 in a four minute period with Nevill a dominant force in the paint and Damian Martin all over the floor defensively, grabbing the lead and pushing it out to 32-26 as the fans started to get nervous.
The Kings weren’t here just to make up the numbers however, and behind Luke Cooper’s blazing speed and the ultra-aggressiveness of Madgen fought back courageously against the extreme heat the Wildcats were bringing and reined in the Perth lead.
Two massive dunks by Grant and a triple to Madgen suddenly had the Kings in front 42-38, and it was Perth who looked rattled as the Kingdome crowd got heavily involved and the noise levels went up several decibels.
Redhage hit a triple as part of a late 5-0 Perth run, but Bose knocked down two free throws to close the scoring and give the Kings a deserved 44-43 halftime lead.
That Sydney held the lead was one thing, the fact they were doing it despite a quiet half from Khazzouh was even more impressive. And importantly, the Kings were doing a great job protecting the ball against Perth’s defensive pressure, conceding just three turnovers in the first twenty minutes.
Jerai Grant was huge for the purple and gold as we got underway in the second half with seven points in the first three minutes including a spectacular two-handed alley-oop jam to power the Kings to a 53-45 lead.
But again the Wildcats responded in this incredible back and forth contest, ripping off eight unanswered points in just over a minute to tie it at 53 and have the Sydney fans a little nervous for the first time.
Kevin Ratzsch broke the string with a triple, but Wildcat bench guard Drew Williamson answered with five points of his own and the score was knotted at 58 with four minutes left to the final change.
It was an intense physical battle and the Kings were standing up to the challenge with Bose showing the way at both ends with a committed display. His strong basket inside followed by a great pass to Khazzouh for the deuce helped the Kings to a 64-62 lead with one period remaining, as the stage was set for an incredible last ten minutes.
The crowd was at fever pitch as the final period got underway and the home team gave them something to cheer about as Khazzouh finally began to get untracked offensively with a pair of buckets and Madgen nailed two from the foul line to extend the margin to eight points, 70-62, with less than two minutes gone.
The run was eight points and the lead went into double figures for the first time when Bose, having a whale of a game, powered inside for another deuce, and when he hit one of two from the line, the Kings had scored nine straight points and the noise inside the Kingdome was hitting jet engine levels.
But just when it looked like Sydney was about to put their foot on the Wildcats’ collective throat, the league leaders responded once again with a 6-0 run of their own capped by a dunk from Nevill to make it a five point game with six minutes left.
The Kings had gone stagnant offensively and failed to register a point for three minutes, and when Shawn Redhage came through with a pair of baskets, one off a key offensive board, Perth had scored 10 straight points to grab a 74-73 lead with three minutes left and Coach Robilliard again was forced to burn a timeout with his team struggling to make anything happen against the ’Cats maniacal pressure.
Madgen finally got the basket the fans were waiting for when he attacked down the floor and gave Sydney the lead, but Redhage had another huge offensive rebound, tipping the ball to Wagstaff who converted to make it 76-75.
Cooper then missed a tough floater in traffic, and with thirty seconds left Perth had the ball. Redhage missed a jumper giving the Kings a chance to win it. They grabbed the defensive rebound with 14 seconds left and the crowd on its feet, advanced the ball and got it to Khazzouh, whose shot just missed.
Graeme Dann controlled the offensive board, and with half a second left forced up a shot that went in and out – but the whistle had blown for a foul, putting him on the line.
Unfortunately, his two misses were just two of many in a game that proved just how razor-thin the margin is between success and failure in the National Basketball League.
