Adelaide 36er Mitch Creek gets pumped after sinking two points against the Kings. Source: Getty Images
THE Adelaide 36ers held off a spirited Kings fightback to record an 88-81 NBL win on Sunday afternoon at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
After Sydney charged to the lead early in the final quarter, both teams exchanged multiple big shots before the 36ers held on for the win after leading by 13 points late in the third.
Adelaide were led by big man Luke Schenscher (18 points, five rebounds) and the shooting of Jason Cadee (15 points), Stephen Weigh (14) and Adam Gibson (11) at big moments.
Trailing with three-and-a-half minutes to go in the last quarter, three pointers from Gibson and Cadee were the daggers as the 36ers shot eight-of-12 from three-point territory.
The Kings' man of the moment, captain Ben Madgen (20 points) did his best to inspire their late-game revival.
Aaron Bruce (15 points, four assists) and import Darnell Lazare (14 points) also showed flashes of inspiration, but they simply had no answer to the 36ers' sustained pressure.
The Kings started the game on fire, racing to an early lead off the back of a scintillating 12-point burst.
Lazare and Ian Crosswhite were in the thick of the action under the boards but, as the quarter progressed, the 36ers hustled their way back into the contest.
From there, it became a seesaw battle with both teams trading buckets, Mitch Creek's flying blocked shot a highlight as Adelaide ended the half up by a single point.
Kings' coach Shane Heal's attempts to galvanise his troops at halftime did not have the desired effect, with Cadee, Gibson and Schenscher continuing to pile on the misery as the 36ers established their 13-point lead.
Sydney unleashed a 22-6 run approaching three-quarter time as their perimeter marksmen found their range and the momentum was with the home team.
It was Adelaide who hit the big shots when it mattered, though, to prevail by seven.
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