Twenty-one points down.
At home.
Against a Phoenix side throwing everything at them.
If the Kings needed a reminder that championship teams are built in the ugly moments, they got it on Sunday afternoon.
The Sydney Kings produced one of their grittiest wins of the season, overturning a 21-point deficit to beat the South East Melbourne Phoenix 110-99 at Afterpay Arena on Sunday. South East Melbourne came out firing. Six straight three-pointers. A 27-6 lead. The home crowd was quiet, Sydney was searching for answers, and the Phoenix looked every bit like a team ready to make a statement of its own.
But the Kings, like their wonderful fans, did not panic.
They kept chipping away, kept getting stops, and kept believing the game was still there. By the second half, Kendric Davis and Xavier Cooks had taken control. Davis finished with 28 points and nine assists, while Cooks added 15 points and 14 rebounds in a performance full of muscle, hustle and second chances.
The Kings eventually surged clear, only for Melbourne to cut a 17-point lead to four in the final period. That was the real test, and Sydney passed it. The Kings steadied, made the right plays and closed out a 110-99 win that lifted them to 8-3 and back to the top of the NBL ladder.
This was not a polished performance. It was better than that. It was a win built on response. On refusing to fold when the scoreboard, the crowd and the opening quarter all said otherwise.
The Phoenix threw the first punch. The Kings absorbed it, then delivered the knockout. That is what separates a good team from a dangerous one.
