FOLLOWING Friday night’s heartbreaking loss, the Sydney Kings bounced back to take a 2-1 series lead in the 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) Championship Series after defeating the Adelaide 36ers by 13 points in game three.

The Sixers stole one at the death in the second match of the series in Adelaide on Friday night, tying up proceedings after two games as the matchup began to heat up with plenty of spite between the sides. Heading into game three, the series moved back to Sydney, where the Kings were able to produce an astounding 44-point win, and were looking to take a lead once again.

In front of a record crowd at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Kings were too good for the Sixers in the third outing of the series, taking control of the last quarter to again build ascendancy in the deciding matchups.

Sydney Kings (106) def. Adelaide 36ers (93)

There was plenty of buzz around the match after a dramatic conclusion to game two, and that level of excitement was reflected in a hot start to the third match. Both teams were knocking down shots from long range, but it was Adelaide’s John Jenkins who proved the difference, going 4/4 from deep to help the Sixers to a seven-point buffer at the first change, with the visitors carrying over their momentum from last game.

The Kings dropped the first eight points of the second quarter to erase the deficit and hit the lead in no time at all. It was the sort of back and forth action that reflected game two of the series, and it was suddenly game on in the Harbour City. However, Isaac Humphries helped spark the Sixers to an 8-2 run late as his side retained a five-point lead, before the Kings whittled that back to one at half time.

The third quarter remained a close affair, with the big names from both sides knocking down some massive shots in front of a record crowd at Qudos Bank Arena. Every run was answered down the other end, and at three-quarter time, Sydney had managed to carve out a three-point lead, setting up a blockbuster final term.

The fourth quarter saw Sydney make its move, scoring the first seven points to jump out to a double-digit lead early in the piece. Down the other end, the Sixers lacked the answers, and could not produce another fightback as they had in game two, eventually falling by 13 points and finding themselves under plenty of pressure heading into game four.

Having made headlines for his rivalry with Bryce Cotton throughout the series, Kendric Davis certainly walked the walk in game three, posting a ridiculous performance offensively and leading from the front as the Kings outperformed the Sixers. He dropped 34 points and 15 assists with zero turnovers while shooting 58 per cent from the field and 88.9 per cent from the free throw line in a remarkable outing.

Cotton did have 15 points and 12 assists of his own, but struggled with the defensive pressure, which forced five turnovers. It was actually Jenkins who led on the scoring front for the Sixers, dropping 22 points on 8/12 shooting, and his blistering start helped Adelaide take an early lead.

The series will now return to South Australia, with game four set to take place on Wednesday night at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, where the Kings will be looking to claim the championship for the 2025/26 season.