FOLLOWING a nail-biting first game of their 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) semi-final series, the Sydney Kings and the Perth Wildcats will go head to head once again as the former look to advance while the latter fight to keep their campaign alive.

The Kings got the job done by a single point on Wednesday night in a contest that was a lot closer than many expected. Coming into the clash, the Wildcats were not given much of a sniff by experts given they had played two play-in games and were coming against the ladder-leaders, but Perth certainly pushed the minor champions all the way.

Now given the ‘Cats have shown what they are capable of and the series is heading out west, Saturday night’s game two could go either way and may just shape the championship race if Perth can replicate its heroics from game one.

Perth Wildcats vs. Sydney Kings

Game Two
RAC Arena
Saturday, March 14 @ 8pm AEDT

The Wildcats were not expected to keep up with a rampaging Sydney Kings outfit in game one on Wednesday night, but the team from out west was able to surpass all expectations and almost leave Qudos Bank Arena with a gutsy win, falling just one point short of heading home with a 1-0 series lead.

However, the performance still showed that the ‘Cats certainly have what it takes to win it all this season, and now with home court advantage at RAC Arena, have the opportunity to force a third game and take the series back to Sydney, where Perth was almost able to pinch a win, but it will take another massive effort.

The second half performance of Kristian Doolittle was what brought the Wildcats back into the match, with their star forward dropping 27 points after the main change to ignite the visiting side. If Jo Lual-Acuil can give him some support in the frontcourt, it should hold Perth in good stead in getting a do-or-die victory.

It is a testament to the strength of this Sydney team that the Kings were able to be on the receiving end of an excellent performance from the Wildcats and still hold on for victory. Sydney was able to withstand a second-half blitz from Perth, and will now have a better mindset of how to quell the opposition defensively.

Expect the Kings to put plenty of time into slowing down the impact of Doolittle, who was immense for Perth and dragged the Wildcats back into the contest. Sydney will be eager to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible, and will likely implement new defensive structures to force others to take the shots.

He may not have taken out the MVP trophy (that honour went to Bryce Cotton), but Kendric Davis put on an offensive masterclass against the Wildcats in game one. Dropping 35 points, he remains the key to Sydney’s championship aspirations, and could explode for another big performance in enemy territory in Perth tomorrow night.