Kings 93 Taipans 76
The Sydney Kings stormed to victory over league co-leaders Cairns Taipans on Thursday night in a 17-point demolition job.
Face of determination: Ben Madgen finds the gap. Photo: Wolter Peeters
The 93-76 point win is a much needed morale boost for a side that has struggled to find consistent form across the season.
Josh Childress further underlined his reputation as the NBL's best import this year, dominating the court with tight ball skills and attacking prowess.
Lift off: Josh Childress heads for the hoop. Photo: Wolter Peeters
Childress contributed almost a third of the Kings' 93 points as he tallied 27 points on 8/13 shooting, nine rebounds, four blocks and seven assists, with an on-fire Jason Cadee adding another 18.
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The points flowed evenly throughout the first term, with the Taipans missing a number of opportunities to punish the home side for some untidy work up front.
With 21 points on the board, the Kings edged into the second quarter with a one point lead against the league co-leaders.
But despite some flashes of brilliance from star import Josh Childress, the Taipans were a dominant force in attack, with Scottie Wilbekin sinking two three pointers to score a total nine points in the second quarter.
Import point guard Kendrick Perry, who has struggled for consistent form for the Kings so far, was given little opportunity to prove himself against opposing point guard and childhood friend Wilbekin.
In what was perhaps a show of flailing confidence in Perry, Jason Cadee replaced the point guard for much of the second quarter, with some strong attacking form making the decision hard to fault.
But coach Damian Cotter defended his point guard after the match, praising his performance despite being "under siege" from fans and the media.
Perry recovered in the second half of the game but a number of speedy breaks by Wilbekin through a porous defence left the Kings trailing 41-47 at the half-time buzzer.
An eye-catching performance from Childress revived the game for the Kings, with a slam dunk bringing the stadium alive in the third term.
Asked whether the Kings had become too reliant upon Childress as their key playmaker, Cotter said Thursday night's victory was the result of a number of players producing their best performance of the season.
"What people have to understand about Josh is that, yes, he's a good player, but he's a better teammate," Cotter said.
The energy was reflected on the court, with Childress' blazing form lifting the team. A fiery quarter saw the Kings lead into the final term on 67-61.
Desperate to avoid a repeat of their last matchup, where the Kings squandered a 17-point lead in the third quarter to go down by 12-points on the final buzzer, the home side hit the court firing. Cadee sunk an impossible three pointer, setting the pace for the final term.
Scrappy play in defence saw Wilbekin run the length of the court to nail an easy layup, tightening the score to 80-70 in favour of the Kings.
But with the Snakes unable to shut down a rampant Childress, the Kings stretched to a convincing 15 point lead with three minutes left on the clock.
Co-captain Ben Madgen iced the cake with a cool three pointer in the final seconds closing out the game to give the Kings a 17-point victory and placing them back in finals contention.