SYDNEY Kings have officially stamped their authority as arguably the most complete team in the National Basketball League (NBL) on Sunday afternoon, beating down the SEM Phoenix, 114-88.

In what was a close first half, in the last quarter the Phoenix crumbled under the pressure, scoring just 11 points in the last period compared to the Kings’ 29. Sydney maintained a strong performance on both sides of the ball throughout the entire game, constantly finding good looks in the paint, mostly due to Kendric Davis‘ ability to find his teammates in the best possible positions to create easy chances.

Even though Sydney did not shoot the three at a high rate, with only six made threes in the whole game, it was the easy inside points it was consistently able to get that got it to victory. It marks the Kings’ eighth straight victory, where they played other contenders in that stretch, Melbourne United and Adelaide 36ers, beating both. Now with the win against the Phoenix, the Kings have proven that they have arguably taken the crown as the sole championship favourite.

Davis, who was MVP runner-up to Bryce Cotton in NBL25, has now shown that he is performing at the same pace or even better than Cotton’s play this season, with a 30-point, nine-assist display on an impressive 61 per cent field goal percentage. With the Sydney Kings’ whole offence running through Davis, he has shown to be a worthy number-one option as his versatility to both score and find his teammates has been the difference maker all season long.

Former MVP Xavier Cooks had a perfectly efficient 20 points, not missing a shot from both regular play and free throws, shooting 4/4 from the charity stripe, which was very impressive when compared to his season’s 46 per cent free-throw line percentage. Jaylin Galloway bounced back from his previous 0-point game with 14, and new signing Torrey Craig scored 13, along with an incredible defensive performance from both the interior and perimeter, with two steals and two blocks.

The win for Sydney put the team in second place, swapping with the Phoenix to now be behind the 36ers, even while playing one less game. Sydney’s last three regular season games will be against the Illawarra Hawks, the Perth Wildcats and then the last-placed Brisbane Bullets, so with quite a smooth last three games, the Kings can easily snatch the first place spot, overtaking Adelaide.

The Phoenix shot just 37 per cent from the field for the game, whilst Sydney almost doubled that with 68 per cent. Five players shot the ball at less than 35 per cent, including the main scoring option, Nathan Sobey, who, despite his 15 points, shot 5/15, along with five turnovers. Frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, John Brown III, led the way for the Phoenix with 15 points on 60 per cent. While Ian Clark has recently been playing incredibly off the bench, he struggled with just six points on 22 per cent shooting.

The Phoenix will finish their season with two games left against the Tasmania JackJumpers and then United. Whilst already being in the contending category, a strong finish to the season right before finals will bring back their morale as they head into their finals campaign, where expectations are held high.