Kings loss right royal shocker in Auckland
THE Sydney Kings are staring down the barrel of three straight defeats to start the season for the first time since 1991 after they failed to protect the paint in a gutsy yet flawed 87-85 loss to the New Zealand Breakers on Friday.
Almost a week after Adelaide exposed the Kings defensively in the season opener, the men in purple and gold continued their rebounding deficiencies in a heartbreaking defeat against the Breakers.
Coach Andrew Gaze was proud of his team’s resolve to fight back from a 13-point halftime deficit, but felt bitterly disappointed with their inability to prevent the opposition from scoring.
The Kings outscored the Breakers by three in the first quarter, before they conceded a whopping 28 points in the second.
Sydney showcased impressive courage to surge home and win the third and fourth quarter to level the scores in the closing stages, before Breakers point guard Devonte Jerrell Newbill broke the Kings’ hearts by scoring a game-winning lay-up with six seconds left on the clock.
Sydney deserve praise for refusing to give in, but their rebounding and defence remains a concern.
It’s why a furious Gaze ripped into his players with a brutally honest halftime spray.
“That defence was deplorable,” Gaze fired.
“We are a long way off where we need to be defensively if we are going to be competitive this season.”
Sydney now face the prospect of three losses to start the season when they host archrivals the Illawarra Hawks at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.
The Kings started the 1991 season 0-4 and missed the playoffs as a result.
Breakers shooting guard Kirk Penney proved the difference in the end. Penney delivered a point scoring masterclass, dropping a gamehigh 25 points, including six of nine from the perimeter.
The Kings have now claimed two wins in their past 15 clashes against the Breakers in Auckland.
Perry Ellis finished with a team-high 19 points for Sydney, while Todd Blanchfield, Travis Leslie and Kevin Lisch all added 15 points.