There are season openers, and then there are season openers that make the rest of the NBL sit up, spill its coffee and wonder whether last year’s champions have somehow become even better.
The Sydney Kings raised their NBL26 championship banner at Afterpay Arena on Sunday 21 September before overpowering the Cairns Taipans 111-90 in front of 13,632 fans. It was part ceremony, part warning shot.
Cairns arrived with plenty of energy and Keanu Pinder was outstanding, finishing with 27 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Taipans led early and tested Sydney’s defence at the rim, but the Kings settled into their work and took a six-point advantage into halftime.
Then came the second-half ambush.
Sydney tightened the screws defensively, found more success inside and unleashed a barrage of three-pointers in the third quarter. Matthew Dellavedova, Makuach Maluach, Will Johnston and Kendric Davis all joined the long-range party as the Kings exploded for 31 points in the period and closed it with a 21-8 run.
By three-quarter time, Sydney led 90-73. From there, the result was less a contest and more a very entertaining confirmation of the obvious.
Davis, last season’s Championship Series MVP, looked as though he had never been away, despite arriving in Australia only days earlier. He finished with 26 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Xavier Cooks added 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Torrey Craig contributed 13 points, Dellavedova had 12 points and six assists, and seven Kings players finished in double figures. New import Andrew Carr also impressed on debut with 11 points and four rebounds.
Coach Brian Goorjian praised the team’s interior presence and camaraderie after the match. Those qualities, combined with shooting at 54.9 per cent and 31 bench points, suggest the Kings are not interested in quietly defending their crown.
