Kings in town for royal showdown

Sydney Kings come to town on Friday night for a battle royale with the Adelaide 36ers at the Entertainment Centre.

Both sides are coming off great road victories last Saturday night, and the Kings will be out to prove themselves after their 102-94 win against Adelaide at HoopsFest in Perth.

The Kings have weapons right across the floor, while Adelaide has beginning to show signs of growth, especially last round with twin victories against South East Melbourne Phoenix and Illawarra Hawks.

Expect another huge crowd at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for the Born to Build Construction Industry Round supported by Master Builders SA and Tool Kit Depot.  

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THE KEY
Xavier Cooks has returned to the NBL and has begun how he left the league after winning back-to-back championships in NBL22 and NBL23.

The Kings’ marquee man has been a standout so far this season, averaging 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

Cooks was everywhere for Sydney when the Kings defeated Adelaide 102-94 at HoopsFest in Perth last month, with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double.

It will be interesting with Adelaide’s new starting frontcourt tandem of Isaac Humphries and Montrezl Harrell, with Harrell looming as the man to get first assignment on Cooks.

THE SECRET
There probably aren’t any secrets anymore after the HoopsFest opener, but big man Keli Leaupepe made an instant impact against the 36ers in Round One.

Leaupepe only scored five points and grabbed five rebounds in the win over Adelaide, but made a bigger impact than those stats suggest.

Across his first four games, Leaupepe has averaged 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per night, but has had a career-high 22 points last round against the Bullets in Brisbane.

Adelaide fans should also not forget the Kings have a genuine NBA talent in Jayln Galloway coming off the bench, who can turn a game within minutes.

DEPTH CHART
Adams / Bruce
Kuol / Le’afa / Robertson
Toohey / Galloway / Maluach
Cooks / Noi
Leaupepe / Oliver

FINAL WORD
After winning both games last round, expect to see an Adelaide side full of confidence heading into Friday night’s showdown.

Adelaide has seemed unlock some rotations and it will be interesting to see how that goes against the Kings for a second time in under a month.

Adams dined out on the 36ers in Round One and with Kendric Davis making huge leaps in the past two games, expect that match-up to be worth admission alone.

After a thrilling road win in Wollongong last Saturday night, Adelaide will want to continue their winning streak and there’s no bigger test than the deepest team in the NBL.