DJ winds back the clock to keep 36ers alive

• ‍Game 1: 'Saturday night slaughter' as KD's Kings fire first shot‍
• Game 2: Cotton game-winner levels series as KD loses his cool‍
• Game 3: 'All love' as KD talks Cotton clash as Kings take Game 3

A vintage Dejan Vasiljevic performance has sent the NBL26 Championship Series to a game five decider after the Adelaide 36ers came back once again to beat the Sydney Kings 92-91 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Kings forward Torrey Craig had the chance to tie the game from the free-throw line with just seconds left but missed his second attempt as 36ers big man Isaac Humphries grabbed a crucial rebound to cap-off the one-point victory.

Vasiljevic wound back the clock with 19 points and 5-from-11 from the three-point line as he helped the 36ers fight off elimination despite trailing by as many as nine points midway through the third quarter.

While the Kings defence still made every possession tough for Adelaide superstar and six-time MVP Bryce Cotton, it was Vasiljevic who set the tone, coming out of the gate aggressive both from the three-point line and in the mid-range, connecting on several floaters to punish Sydney's pressure.

Big man Zylan Cheatham also played a vital role and had his best game of the series, operating out of short rolls and doing damage for the 36ers inside the paint with the ball and on the offensive rebounds.

Cheatham finished with 23 points and nine rebounds.

"It took a lot of great determination. We got behind our crowd and we're just trusting what we've been doing all year," Cheatham said in his post-game interview.

"We just got behind our our instincts, things we've been doing all season. We came in with a good game plan and that's a hell of a team. We executed well, though."

Cheatham, who has signed an extension with the 36ers, said he wanted to bring back a title for the Adelaide fans.

"I'm going into it with no expectations personally. Obviously I want to play well, but I want to do anything to win the championship and bring that medal back to the crib," he said.

"This is my new home, man, this is where I want to be, this is where I want to stay and it's the reason I signed my extension here. I mean, I love these guys, I love my team, I love my organisation, it's the best fans in the world and I'm just honoured to be able to play in front of them."

Despite being held to 19 points and 8-from-22 shooting, Cotton still had 12 assists and five rebounds to make a significant impact for the 36ers.

Asked what impressed him most about his team's hard-fought win, Cotton said they "stayed together".

Humphries also played a critical role for the 36ers, putting together an important double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Sydney's star import Kendric Davis took a more patient approach in game four but still came alive in the fourth, hitting consecutive three-pointers, including one over Cotton to put his team ahead before Adelaide responded.

Davis finished with another impressive double-double, recording 22 points and 10 assists, while young gun Jaylin Galloway had a breakout playoffs performance as the FIBA Asia Cup MVP became the first player to hit five triple in consecutive finals games in 16 years to almost spark a Kings win.

Galloway went 5-from-9 from the three-point line and had 20 points in the game.

Game five will be played at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Sunday at 2.30pm (AEDT).