Kings dial in on "controllables" as Davis explodes

After Friday night’s dramatic loss to Adelaide, the Sydney Kings needed a response.

They achieved exactly that on Sunday during Game 3 of the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Championship Series, outlasting the 36ers by 13 points at Qudos Bank Arena.

A big part of that was Kings guard and leader, Matthew Dellavedova.

While he only tallied 3 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds on the day, his contribution went much further than the box score.

“Everyone had a bit to say after [Friday’s] tough finish, but we were right in the game,” Dellavedova told ESPN following the victory.

“We knew there were some controllable things that we could take care of, and it was up to us to respond.

“[Our group] has great depth, everyone’s playing hard, and I thought we responded really well today.”

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Another factor in Sunday’s win, which moves the Kings to 2-1 in the series, was Dellavedova’s backcourt teammate, Kendric Davis.

The American point guard became the first player in NBL history to tally 34 points, 15 assists and 0 turnovers in a game.

Commenting on Davis’ showing, Dellavedova said: “KD was on another level”.

Game 4 of the Championship Series tips off at 7.30pm AEDT on Wednesday at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, live on ESPN and 10 Drama in Sydney and Adelaide.