GAME ONE of the 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) Championship Series took place on Saturday night, with the Sydney Kings recording a massive 44-point win over the Adelaide 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena.

It was shaping as a blockbuster matchup between the two best teams from NBL26, with all encounters between the sides throughout the regular season coming down to the wire. With stars on both sides, there was plenty of anticipation surrounding the opening encounter of the best-of-five series.

However, it ended up being an entirely one-sided affair, with the Kings delivering a record win to open the Championship Series in style, and head down to Adelaide with plenty of momentum and confidence in their own game.

Sydney Kings (112) def. Adelaide 36ers (68)

The Kings were absolutely relentless on both sides of the ball in the massive victory over Adelaide, using a blistering pace offensively, while also proving extremely restrictive on the defensive end, and the Sixers had no answers on either end.

Sydney took control of the match in the first half, stretching its lead out to double digits early in the second frame, and at the main change, the Kings were already out to a 20-point lead as the crowd at Qudos Bank Arena were fired up after a dominant 20 minutes from their team.

The Kings then took that momentum into the second half, starting the third quarter with a 14-1 run that essentially sealed the win with plenty of time on the clock. Sydney never took its foot off the pedal, and ended up cruising home to a 44-point win to flex its championship credentials and show why it finished atop the standings.

The Kings were remarkably efficient when scoring the ball, shooting 66 per cent from the field and nailed 13 of their 24 attempts from behind the arc. Adelaide simply did not have the firepower to keep up with the opposition, and was blown away on the scoreboard.

Stopping the Sixers’ scoring power largely came down to the coverage of Bryce Cotton, who was subjected to an incredibly tough and physical night on the road. Matthew Dellavedova was the main culprit here, and restricted the six-time MVP to just 10 points on 4/12 shooting from the field in a remarkably low-production night for the superstar.

On the other hand, MVP runner up Kendric Davis was immense for Sydney, proving a fearless leader again on the offensive end with 25 points and seven assists, while big man Tim Soares was efficient with 22 points and eight boards on 8/10 shooting from the field.

The series will now head to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday night, where the Sixers will be desperate to level the series after a poor performance, but game one showed that the Kings will take some stopping on the big stage.