THIS past weekend saw another batch of National Basketball League (NBL) games take place across Australia, in one of the most entertaining rounds of the 2021/22 season. Saturday night saw fans at Qudos Bank Arena treated to a big clash between the Sydney Kings and the Perth Wildcats. The Wildcats entered the matchup as favourites, but the Kings came out firing, producing a dominant display inside the three-point line as they proved unstoppable throughout the first and third terms of play. The match ended up going down to the wire, but it was Sydney who was able to hold on to a three-point win in front of an electric home crowd.

One of the major reasons for the win was the efforts of star guard Jaylen Adams, who continued his MVP-calibre season with one of the most dominant individual outings of the season. He flirted with a mammoth triple-double and poured in 31 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in an insanely good performance.

FIRST QUARTER

Adams worked his way into the contest in the opening minutes, first registering a stat when he pulled down a defensive board for his side, before orchestrating the offence up the other end of the court and finding a wide open Dejan Vasiljevic for three. Following this play, he racked up a couple of steals and got involved on the scoreboard, sinking baskets from all over the court, and led his side to a surprising seven-point lead at the end of the first term.

SECOND QUARTER

The second term started in ideal fashion for the star Kings guard, nailing a tough step-back three-pointer, taking his points total up to 12 for the match to this point. He continued to get involved on the boards, and while his shooting accuracy dropped for a little bit, Adams still managed to impact the game in other ways, such as passing and defending. He added six more points for the rest of the term (two from the free-throw line and four from mid-range), and was keeping Sydney in it after a strong period from the Wildcats.

THIRD QUARTER

Adams kicked off the second half by demonstrating how impressive his vision can be, finding Vasiljevic for the lay-up as the Kings looked to chip away at the six-point deficit. He provided a highlight a couple minutes late, converting a tough lay-up through the contact to draw the foul as well. It was evident the Kings were looking to get the ball in his hands at all costs, and he continued to make the right decision, whether it be driving for a lay-up, or finding teamates around the key. Adams added some more points to his tally, and got Sydney’s newest recruit Ian Clark involved with a nice pass. With the quarter winding down, Adams drained a three-pointer to give his side a 10-point lead over Perth heading into the last term.

FOURTH QUARTER

After starting the final period on the bench for a well-deserved rest, Adams entered the game with just over eight minutes remaining and his side leading by a comfortable nine points. However, the Wildcats have shown that there is no such thing as a comfortable margin when they are playing, as the visitors began to chip away at the lead. It was Adams who was helping keep his side in front, consistently finding wide-open teammates who sank some crucial baskets. The Wildcats still found a way to even things up with a few minutes to play, but Adams delivered yet another and-one play, this time in the clutch to give his side the lead again, topping off a monumental performance.