36ers are ready for rebounding Kings

Adelaide will be eager to make it back-to-back wins when the 36ers host Sydney Kings at the Entertainment Centre on Thursday night.

Sydney will be keen to rebound after the Kings lost both games at home last round to Melbourne United 101-85 and Brisbane Bullets 101-93.

The reigning two-time defending NBL champions have a 10-10 win-loss record and are holding onto fourth spot on the ladder.

Adelaide will be confident after the 36ers defeated NBL24 league leaders Melbourne United 100-96 last Saturday night at the Entertainment Centre.

The Kings have already tasted success against Adelaide this season, Sydney winning 109-100 at Qudos Bank Arena back in Round 2.

THE KEY
NBL22 MVP Jaylen Adams is back in Sydney this season and even though his numbers are a little down from his previous campaign, he is the man for the Kings.

Adams is averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per night in NBL24 and is a matchwinner and 36ers fans know all too well about his crunch time abilities.

The 27-year-old connected on a three-point dagger for the Kings to win 93-90 the last time he was at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre back in 2022.

The 183cm point guard did almost everything in the Kings’ loss to the Bullets, scoring 21 points and dishing eight assists and expect Adams to be locked in to get his side back in the winners’ circle.

Shutting down Adams will be a key for Adelaide, coach Scott Ninnis could throw Nick Marshall onto the Kings superstar point guard.

Marshall did the initial shut down role on United NBL MVP candidate Chris Goulding last round in a triple threat with Mitch McCarron and Sunday Dech.

THE SECRET
Sydney import shooting guard Denzel Valentine could fly under the radar after Kings head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah moved the former Chicago Bull to the bench.

Valentine erupted for 29 points against the Taipans in Round 13 but struggled last round with only eight points against United and 10 points against the Bullets.

Ninnis should not underestimate the impact Valentine can have on this match, and this could well be the Nick Marshall match-up.

Besides Valentine, another former NBA draft pick, Jonah Bolden, comes off the Sydney bench and can also take the game away by stretching the floor with his jump shot.

Bolden showed against the Wildcats in Perth what he is capable of, scoring a team-high 28 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the three-point line in Round 9.

This match-up could go to any or all of Jacob Wiley, Kyrin Galloway or Alex Starling, and potentially all three will get time on the Boomers 2024 Olympic hopeful.

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DEPTH CHART
PG: Adams / Bruce
SG: Valentine / Glover
SF: Galloway / Maluach
PF: Toohey / Noi / Gattorna / Hogg (inj)
C: Hunter / Bolden / Timmins

THE FINAL WORD
After last Saturday night’s big win over Melbourne United, the 36ers will hold no fear coming up against the two-time defending champions.

Sydney will be looking to get their season back on track after suffering back-to-back losses at home last round, while Adelaide will be keen to make it two wins on the trot.

The belief Adelaide got from the United win should be infectious and the faith in the group should be at an all-time high, but the Kings are a new and different challenge.

Adelaide need to start well, just like the 36ers did against United and get the big crowd involved early, the 9564 fans played a huge role during the frantic final moments against United and Thursday night should be no different.