DESPITE losing their two best players to injury over the course of the match, the Sydney Kings downed the New Zealand Breakers on the road to tie up the Championship Series at one game apiece on Sunday afternoon.

The Kings were stunned at home on Friday as the Breakers produced an upset and took the early lead in the best of five series. However, the depth of the reigning champions was on display as Sydney produced a seven-point triumph despite star duo Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr not returning after quarter time.

Instead, it was Sydney’s lesser appreciated players that stepped up in front of a vocal Spark Arena crowd, pushing the Kings to an early lead and producing an answer whenever the Breakers looked to drag themselves back into the game.

While it was an outstanding team performance that got the job done, the standout for the match was Justin Simon. The talented two-way wing often flies under the radar, being tasked by coach Chase Buford to guard the opposition’s best player. Against the Breakers, he put his name under lights with a truly impactful showing. Although his numbers were not the flashiest, the importance of his performance was evident as the undermanned Kings claimed a vital win.

New Zealand Breakers (74) def. by Sydney Kings (81)

Justin Simon – 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists

Simon was seemingly everywhere at Spark Arena, doing a bit of everything to prove a surprising hero in a must-win match for the Kings.

While there were more prolific scorers (Kouat Noi delivered an eye-catching 20 points), Simon still managed to chime in for some big buckets. As New Zealand began to make a bit of a charge in the third quarter – drawing within seven points – the wing drained a massive three-pointer from well behind the arc to stretch the lead back to double-digits.

Shots as big as that were hard to come by in a grind of a match, so it would have taken a weight off the shoulders of Kings fans.

With Cooks missing the match, there was a big hole to fill on the rebounding front, and yet again it was Simon that filled those shoes. Of his nine rebounds, four were on the offensive end, rejuvenating the Sydney offence with second-chance scoring opportunities.

Despite shining in other areas of the game, Simon’s best work once again came on the defensive end. He was tasked with manning the likes of Barry Brown Jr. and William McDowell-White, and did a terrific job thwarting their impact. While Brown Jr. had 21 points, it was on inefficient shooting and Simon did an excellent job of limiting the good looks for the NBL’s Best Sixth Man.

The numbers reflected his defensive impact too, with the import finishing the match with six steals next to his name, making life extremely difficult for the Breakers on the offensive end.