THE 11th round of the National Basketball League (NBL)’s 2021/22 season has delivered some thrilling contests and entertaining action over the weekend. Sunday afternoon’s clash between the Sydney Kings and the Brisbane Bullets at Qudos Bank Arena was no exception, with the two sides playing out one of the most thrilling matches of the season. The Kings were the favoured side to emerge victorious in this clash, given their higher standing on the season to date, but the Bullets came out determined to give their opponents a run for their money. The Bullets looked a strong chance to cause quite the upset when they led by two points with just seconds remaining. However, what followed in this time will be long remembered as one of the most insane finishes to a game we have seen in quite some time.

The build-up:

The game was a back-and-forth affair for the majority of contest heading into the closing stages. The Bullets came out firing in the opening term, before the Kings were able to bring themselves back into the match to take a four-point lead into the main break. However, the visiting side were not going to give up without a fight, rallying behind their stars in Lamar Patterson and Robert Franks to retake the lead heading into the fourth. They continued this run into the final period, with the lead extending out to seven points, courtesy of a Franks lay-up.

When scoring dried up a bit in the minutes that followed, things became even more difficult for the Kings, but in rapid fashion, they were able to tie things up in the space of a minute. Things remained tight for the final minutes of the match, with Sydney always conjuring an answer whenever the Bullets hit the front. A mid-range shot from Anthony Drmic gave Brisbane a two-point lead with a minute and a half remaining. With the home side going cold in the possessions that followed, the Bullets looked likely to claim the victory. Enter Jaylen Adams, who had been well-restricted throughout the contest to this point.

What happened:

With less than 10 seconds on the clock, the Kings inbounded the ball in their attacking half, with Dejan Vasiljevic taking possession past the three-point line. Given his reputation as a sharpshooter, the Bullets defence made sure to close out on Vasiljevic in fast fashion, so he moved the ball into the hands of Adams at the top of the arc. Using a Jarell Martin screen as a fake, Adams drove directly at the hoop instead with blistering pace. As expected, the Bullets defence was not going to let this play out without a contest, with Patterson meeting the Kings guard at the rim. However, Adams was able to overcome this and deliver one of the plays of the season.

Adams continued his charge at the rim, absorbed the contact and threw down one of the most vicious dunks of the season on Patterson’s head. The posterizing dunk sent shockwaves through Qudos Bank Arena, as the bench and crowd exploded out of their seats with scores tied. To top it all off, a foul was called on Patterson’s blocking attempt, which meant Adams was heading to the free throw line with the opportunity to give his side the lead with just three seconds remaining.

What it meant:

After a see-sawing contest all game, the Kings had the opportunity to put themselves in front for the first time since the third term with Adams heading to the line. However, the shot from the charity stripe instead found the back of the rim and bounced out, as the match looked likely to head to overtime. This did not end up being the case, with King Angus Glover tipping the ball around the keep it alive and give his side a chance. The ball found its way back to Adams, who made the smart play of dishing to a wide open Martin under the ring. From there, the big man had the most simple of tasks, as he put up the game-winning lay-up on the buzzer and gave the Kings an unlikely win given the circumstances in the closing stages.