ROUND 10 of the National Basketball League (NBL)’s 2021/22 season is well and truly underway, with a number of games taking place over the weekend to kick things off. There has been plenty of big wins as teams look to flex their muscles and boost their percentages. One of these big wins took place in Sydney, where the Kings proved far too good for the New Zealand Breakers when the two teams clashed at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Kings entered this matchup as favourites, given they have enjoyed much more success than their opponents. However, the Breakers had also enjoyed a level of success in their start to the year, so there was a slight chance of an upset. This did not come to fruition in the end, with the Kings storming away with a 19-point victory in front of their home fans.

FIRST QUARTER

As expected, the Kings opened the match as the better side, jumping out to an early lead thanks to some strong play from Jarell Martin. When the lead looked up for grabs, Martin was the spark for the Kings as he scored six points in very quick fashion and suddenly, his team had a double-digit advantage over the Breakers. They were able to maintain this for the remainder of the term, and by the time the first break rolled around, Sydney led by nine points as the match began to pan out as predicted.

SECOND QUARTER

The second period of the match began with the Kings extending their lead and making life worse for the Breakers. In the first few minutes of the term, the margin had blown out to 19 points and things looked difficult for the visiting side. The Kings appeared to be firing on all cylinders, with the Breakers having no answers for their strong level of offensive output. The home side was able to score with ease as they took full control of the contest, and while the visitors could fight back slightly in the closing minutes, they still trailed by 16 by the time the buzzer sounded to conclude the first half of action.

THIRD QUARTER

The Breakers were able to steal control of the contest throughout the third term, particularly on the defensive end of the court. The high-scoring ways of the Kings was brought to a sudden halt, with New Zealand putting quite the emphasis on making life difficult for their opponents. Sydney was only able to register nine points for the quarter, and while the Breakers could not score a large amount themselves, they were able to chip away at the lead as they trailed by just nine points heading into the final period.

FOURTH QUARTER

Unfortunately for the Breakers, their defensive work came undone in the final term, with the Kings wrestling back momentum in the closing 10 minutes of the match. The home side was able to recapture their scoring form of the opening half, finding their way past the defensive structures set by New Zealand and once again blowing the lead out to an unbeatable total. They ran out 19-point victors in what was a powerful way to close out the match and seal the result.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

For the victors, the sharpshooting of Dejan Vasiljevic was a vital factor in achieving a winning score in the end. He poured in a game-high 23 points, proving deadly from both inside the arc and from downtown. He had some good help from Jaylen Adams (17 points) and Martin (13 points and 12 rebounds) as the Kings fought their way to victory. For the Breakers, big man Yannick Wetzell battled bravely to keep his side in the contest with 16 points in 31 minutes.