The Kings are fighting to maintain their grip on top spot on the NBL ladder after Friday night’s 111-104 loss to the Wildcats in Perth but their main mission is to shore up their defence.
“I think offensively we played really well,” said Kings guard Dejan Vasiljevic ahead of their home game against the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday. “But we probably played one of the worst games defensively, gave up 111 points. There’s a couple of areas we’re going to touch on in the lead-up to [Sunday].”
Dejan Vasiljevic drives in Perth.Credit:Getty
The loss in Perth snapped Sydney’s six-game winning streak and the chance to all but seal first place in the playoffs after second-placed Cairns lost to Tasmania.
Perth took an early lead, but the Kings rallied in the third quarter, erasing the deficit with a 32-point charge led by Vasiljevic to go up 80-76.
The Wildcats responded to lead by 10 and the Kings could not bounce back again.
Sydney have entered every fourth quarter this season ahead on the scoreboard but their loss to the Wildcats marks the sixth time they’ve lost the final term this campaign.
“[Perth] played super well offensively,” Kings coach Chase Buford said. “Seemed like they made a lot of shots overhand. All the big ones they needed to make, they made.
“From our perspective it was not a well-played defensive game to our principles at all. It felt like we were not us defensively.”
Vasiljevic scored 26 points, with four rebounds and one assist, and in doing so joined the prestigious ranks of the Kings’ 1000-point club.
It’s a particularly poignant milestone for the Canada-born 25-year-old, given he suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in 2021 in a game against Perth.
Vasiljevic would have preferred to seal the win rather than his milestone as he focuses on holding off the third-placed Breakers. “Honestly, I don’t really think about accolades too much,” he said.
The Kings won their previous two contests against the Breakers by four and seven points.
“I think we’ve just got to match their physicality; they’re a very physical team,” Vasiljevic said. “Derrick Pardon has been playing great basketball, Will McDowell-White controls them very well. Those two will be the guys we lock into.”
The Kings (17-6) have been at the top of the standings for the majority of the season but the Taipans (16-8) are within striking distance heading into the final two rounds.
There’s a chance the Taipans could dethrone the Kings from the top spot if Sydney lose to the Breakers and the Taipans win their final three games. The Kings will get home-court advantage in the finals, which is given to the team that ends the regular season on top of the ladder.
Chase Buford.Credit:Getty
“I don’t follow the ladder too much, but I know [the Taipans] have only got two more losses than us,” Vasiljevic said. “It’ll be interesting to see where everyone finishes up. But, at this stage, I think we’ll finish on top.”
The Kings are hoping for a season-high 14,000 spectators at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.
