COACH Brian Goorjian might be asking for more support in the backcourt, but his number one man Jaylen Adams seems comfortable just doing it all himself. The star guard went ham in the last quarter against South East Melbourne Phoenix, putting up 21 points in 10 minutes for his Sydney Kings to go from 13 points down at the three quarter time break to nine points up by the final buzzer.

Adams’ 21 points was part of a ridiculous 38-16 quarter for the Kings, as they bounced back from a couple of losses to end 2024, and start the new year fresh with another victory against the in-form Phoenix. The visitors lead throughout the contest, piling on 30-19 themselves in the second term to hold that 13-point buffer at both half-time and the final break. What came next was completely unexpected, but could be the catalyst for the Kings to challenge for another championship.

In what was a simply sensational performance, Adams finished with 32 points (seven of 16 from the field) and had the Phoenix so worried about his shooting ability, they fouled him 10 times and he got sent to the line for 18 free throws. He delivered 17 of those, while also dishing off nine dimes, and picking up five rebounds, three blocks and a steal to truly do it all.

He was not alone though, with the front court trio of Xavier Cooks, Alex Toohey and Kouat Noi all having big games. Cooks racked up another double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Toohey (17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals) was influential, as was Noi who shot four of six from beyond the arc to finish with 20 points, as well as six rebounds and two steals.

Again on limited minutes, Cameron Oliver recorded 13 points and three rebounds from 17 minutes on court, as the Kings showed their front court could get the job done just as well as any back court could. Meanwhile for the Phoenix, it was the back court that held the load.

Ex-Kings guard Derrick Walton Jr had 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals against his former side, draining four of seven from three-point range in the loss. He and fellow recruit Nathan Sobey (23 points, four rebounds and four assists) were both influential from deep, while Angus Glover added three triples to his 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Phoenix’s leading scorer this season in Matt Hurt picked up a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, while fellow forward Joe Wieskamp came off the bench for 12 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes on court.

Goorjian was complementary of his side when the going got tight late.

“You take the basketball away, that fightback and spirit and live bench, that’s all on the captains,” he said.

“X (Cooks) and (Shaun) Bruce had the conversation and it was my time to let them take over and they did the pre-game, and their job was to make sure everybody was ready to play.

“It’s one thing when you storm on top but we were taking it pretty good so I’m just proud of the captains and the different contributions we got with some funny line-ups now that Keli’s out.”

Phoenix coach Josh King said it was a case of two different sides out there for the Phoenix, looking outstanding for the first three quarters, but unable to match the Kings in the last term.

“It was the same as last time but I still think when we’re at our best we are one of the best teams in the league,” he said.

“Obviously in the fourth quarter we didn’t play like one of the best teams in the league, but we’ll get better and we have to learn from these things, and I’m confident my team will learn from this.”

Sydney Kings will now make the quick 48-hour turnaround before taking on Brisbane Bullets in Queensland on Saturday night, while the Phoenix will head south to face the Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena on Sunday evening.