THURSDAY night’s action in the National Basketball League (NBL) saw the Sydney Kings prove too good for the Tasmania JackJumpers when the two sides went head to head at Qudos Bank Arena, with the home side claiming an 11-point win.

The Kings did come into the clash without the services of Xavier Cooks and Matthew Dellavedova, but were still in a rich run of form, and were boosted by the addition of Torrey Craig, who was set to make his debut with Sydney having signed last week.

However, Tasmania was shorthanded in its own right, with big man Will Magnay ruled out for the remainder of the season, and with the New Zealand Breakers and Illawarra Hawks looking to push into the top six, the JackJumpers losing their most important player was far from ideal.

A Kendric Davis masterclass and some excellent defensive pressure all contributed as the Kings took control of the match early in the piece and held on for a double-digit win, while things went from bad to worse for Tasmania as the visitors lost another two key players to injury.

Sydney Kings (105) def. Tasmania JackJumpers (94)

It was an immediately devastating start for the JackJumpers, with Majok Deng exiting the match with a concussion after falling to the floor during a shot attempt that left the forward dazed in the opening 20 seconds of the game.

His loss combined with the existing absence of Magnay meant Tasmania was short on size, and the Kings were able to capitalise on this. Dominating the glass and finding plenty of success scoring the ball inside, Sydney was able to jump out to an early double-digit lead, and really assert itself in the match. Davis was leading the way but Craig was also able to register his first points of the season for the Kings as they led by as much as 23 points.

The only player keeping Tasmania in the contest was Bryce Hamilton, who was showcasing his signature brand of elite finishing off the dribble to generate some much-needed offence for the visitors. However, the import hurt his knee on the drive in the third quarter, and was also ruled out of the remainder of the contest in what could be the final blow for Tassie’s postseason aspirations.

The JackJumpers did chip away at the lead in the final quarter to win the fourth period and show the classic Tasmania fight, the Kings had already put the game to bed with sheer dominance in the first 30 minutes and ended up cruising home to victory.

It was a career-night in the NBL for Davis, who eclipsed his previous total for points in a match (also against the JackJumpers last season) to finish with his first 40-piece on Australian shores. He was too much for the Tasmanian defence to handle, with the visitors unable to stay in front of the MVP candidate who showed why he is considered one of the best in the competition.

Craig was solid in his debut, with the former NBL Best Defensive Player dropping 12 points, four boards, two steals and two blocks in his 25 minutes of court time, while Tim Soares made the most of his height advantage to finish the match with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

For the JackJumpers, Josh Bannan was a shining light with a big double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds, while import David Johnson showed why he will be so important to close out the season, posting 23 points and seven rebounds, courtesy of a strong second half.