ALTHOUGH they suffered a massive scare from a brave Perth Wildcats outfit, the Sydney Kings were still good enough to get the job done, claiming a one-point win to kick off the 2026 NBL semi-final series between the sides.

The Kings came into the clash as favourites to get the job done at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night, having finished as the top seed in the standings and being unmatched in their level of play in the back half of the fixture. To add to the challenge for Perth, the Wildcats had to take the long route via the play-in tournament to book their spot in the playoffs, so it would need to be a gutsy effort.

That is exactly what the visitors delivered, pushing Sydney into the final seconds of the match and giving themselves a chance to win the match, before the Kings did enough to get the final stop of the game to take a series lead.

Sydney Kings (105) def. Perth Wildcats (104)

It was a commanding start to proceedings from the ‘Cats in enemy territory, knocking down some three bombs to storm out to a 10-2 lead in the first few minutes of the match. It set the tone for the visitors at Qudos Bank Arena, although the Kings rallied behind the steady hand of former NBA wing Torrey Craig, who poured in a quick seven points to help cut the deficit down to just two points heading into the first change.

Sydney wasted no time in taking the lead early in the second frame, with Matthew Dellavedova knocking down a triple to ignite the home crowd. His running mate in the backcourt in Kendric Davis followed suit, taking over the final minutes of the half with a six-point burst to give the Kings a four-point lead at the main break, showing why he is one of the biggest factors in the series.

The MVP runner-up kept that sort of form rolling into the third quarter with another three-point make, helping stretch the Kings’ lead out to nine points as the hosts looked to run away with it. The pressure was back on the ‘Cats, and there were concerns the fatigue of playing two games in the past week would play a negative role.

However, star forward Kristian Doolittle was not going to let Perth roll over without a fight, putting the team on his back on the offensive end with a red-hot third quarter. He dropped 17 points in the penultimate period alone, and led the visiting side to a remarkable two-point lead at the final change, setting up a blockbuster finish.

The Kings were able to wrestle back momentum with an 8-2 run to start the fourth frame, but the Wildcats were not going to give up. Both sides had some big plays down the stretch, and when Doolittle nailed the and-one with 30 seconds to play to cut the margin to one, it was still game on. Perth got the stop it needed to get a look at the win, but could not get the basket to go down the other end as the Kings held on.

Davis was electric for Sydney with another outstanding performance to continue his blistering form over the past couple of months. The star guard dropped a game-high 35 points and six assists on 5/7 shooting from long range and 10/13 from the charity stripe, with the Wildcats unable to contain his scoring prowess.

He had an enthralling duel with fellow All-NBL First Team selection Doolittle, who did everything he could to will his team over the line on Wednesday night. 27 of his 31 points came in the second half as he gave the Wildcats a serious spark, and was almost the match-winner in what would have been a big upset.

The series will now head over to Western Australia, where the Wildcats will host the Kings to try and keep their season alive, while the latter will be playing for a spot in the championship series when game two takes place on Saturday night.