A VINTAGE performance from star big man Xavier Cooks helped the Sydney Kings claim a scrappy win over the New Zealand Breakers when the two sides clashed in a National Basketball League (NBL) encounter.

The Kings have found some form of late, headlined by their ability to put an end to Melbourne United‘s 10-game winning streak, which was a strong showing of Sydney’s genuine championship aspirations for the 2025/26 season. On the other hand, the Breakers have found themselves falling short in several close encounters, and came into the game needing a win to move up the standings.

Despite trailing at every quarter break of the match, the Kings found a way to win in the final 10 minutes of the match, scrapping their way to the lead in the fourth quarter and then holding on for a seven-point victory when the two teams locked horns at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The Kings would not be in a position to pull off the come-from-behind victory without the performance from Cooks, who stepped up in the absence of an under the weather Tim Soares and controlled the frontcourt on their home deck.

Sydney Kings (79) def. New Zealand Breakers (72)

Xavier Cooks – 21 points, 14 rebounds, four assists

The former NBL Most Valuable Player was back to his best against the Breakers, proving a massive factor in the context of the match, and leading the Kings to a hard-fought victory against a gutsy effort from the Breakers.

Cooks began the match as a willing passer, combining strongly with Kendric Davis to give the Kings some offensive firepower in the early minutes of the game. After a short stint on the bench, the big man registered his first basket with a nice driving layup through the defence, although the Kings still trailed by eight points at the opening change.

His work on the glass became a big factor in the second quarter, as he got first hands on the board on both ends of the floor, while continuing some strong finishes at the rim. A nice tip-in showed his ability to time his leaps after a Sydney miss, while Cooks’ driving layup late in the half brought the Kings within two points of the Breakers at the main break.

After a quiet start to the second half, Cooks caught fire in the closing minutes of the third quarter, although a pair of misses at the charity stripe left him frustrated. However, he amended this inaccuracy on the following trip and remained unmatched in his rebounding efforts, which helped Sydney stay within two points at three-quarter time.

After New Zealand started the final frame by pushing the margin out to five points, a well-timed layup from Cooks brought that deficit back down to a single basket, while a powerful two-handed dunk ignited the crowd shortly after. The big man stole the ball from Parker Jackson-Cartwright and found Kouat Noi in transition for the game-tying triple, before nailing the most important basket of the game in the final minute. With Sydney leading by two points, Cooks pulled down the offensive board and slammed home the match-sealing dunk to put his side up by four points with a minute to play.

He finished the match with a huge double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, doing a massive amount of the heavy lifting as a scorer and on the glass. If Cooks is in this sort of dominant form moving forward, the Kings will be well and truly in the championship conversation in the coming months.