30
Mar
Watch it Now
Davis flies like 'Bird' in near perfect 'masterpiece'
Kendric Davis of the Kings controls the ball during game three of the NBL Grand Final series between Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena on March 29, 2026 in Sydney. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
Highlights
Kendric Davis delivered 34 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers in a Game 3 masterpiece.
- 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
It’s impossible to play the perfect game of basketball — impossible — but Sydney Kings superstar Kendric Davis came as close as anyone in Game 3 of the NBL26 Grand Final Series in Sydney on Sunday, March 29, 2026.
Davis, 26, led the Kings to a 106-93 win and a 2-1 series lead heading back to Adelaide for Game 4 on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 7pm (AEDT).
There’s the no-hitter in baseball for a pitcher, the chanceless ton for a Test batsman on the MCG, riding Phar Lap to the Melbourne Cup, Bill Walton’s 44-points on 21-from-22 from the field to go with 14 rebounds for UCLA against Memphis in 1973 or Indiana State forward Larry’s Bird’s 35 points on 16-from-19 from the field to go with 16 rebounds and nine assists against DePaul at the 1979 Final Four.
And then there is Kendric Davis in Game 3: 34 points (58%), 15 assists, ZERO turnovers, +13 in 40 minutes. The Kings won by 13.
+----------------------+---------+
| Player | Kendric Davis |
+----------------------+---------+
| Minutes | 40:00 |
| Points | 34 |
| FG | 11-19 |
| FG% | 57.9% |
| 3PT | 4-8 |
| 3PT% | 50.0% |
| FT | 8-9 |
| FT% | 88.9% |
| Offensive Rebounds | 0 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2 |
| Total Rebounds | 2 |
| Assists | 15 |
| Turnovers | 0 |
| Steals | 0 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Fouls | 1 |
| Fouls Drawn | 8 |
| +/- | +13 |
| Efficiency | 42 |
+----------------------+---------+Davis was directly responsible for ~70 points at ~1.84 PPP while controlling nearly half the Kings' possessions — a complete offensive performance — without committing a single turnover in 40 minutes.
He didn’t come off.
Pause and absorb those numbers.
Former Sydney Kings captain Ben Madgen was courtside yesterday and said: “It was an all-time performance.
“He is one of the best shot makers I’ve seen in the league, and having unselfish guys around him like Delly and Cooks gives him so many opportunities to be aggressive.
“Game 3 is so pivotal, so to dominate like that is extra special.
“One thing the Kings have done really well is make Cotton play defence.
“You see Delly post him up constantly, and they put him in a lot of actions where he is forced to guard.
“Adelaide hasn’t been able to put pressure on KD on the defensive end, so he has been able to focus on running the offence and conserve energy. Hence playing 40 mins!
“He didn’t even look tired.”
Davis had ~48% possession involvement on offence and accounted for 66% of the Kings' points ... without a turnover.
His 34 points came on just 19 shots, that’s 1.79 points per shot with a True Shooting Percentage (TS%) of about 72%.
“It’s an unbelievable performance, and there's not much you can say about Kendric Davis other than an extreme comeback game,” former league MVP Derek Rucker said on the NBL’s Moments That Mattered.
“He showed tremendous discipline and composure, and because he had those things under control, he was regulated emotionally, and it allowed his sublime talents to take over.
“34 points and 15 assists, he did everything perfectly in this game.
“I've seen a lot of Championship Series, by some of the all-time greats in the NBL.
“Shane Heal, Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Ricky Grace, all of them.
“I'm not sure I've seen a better performance than what KD (Davis) put on right here in a huge moment.
“Adelaide was tough; they put it to them, and everything he [Davis] did was essential to win this game.”
Davis, who left the 36ers acrimoniously at the end of NBL25, responded the only way an MVP runner-up should from his 6-from-25 brickfest in Game 2.
“Fifteen assists, zero turnovers — he’s a tremendous player,” Adelaide 36ers head coach Mike Wells conceded about his former player.
“It’s one thing when he scores, but when he’s doing both points and assists, it’s harder.
“We tried to get him into different areas, but you’ve got to give his teammates credit. They made plays. That’s why they’ve been so good. They’re a well-oiled machine with a lot of ways to score.”
Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian revealed Davis was “upset” after Game 2, going 6-for-25 to get his 20 points in the two-point 91-89 loss.
“I like his tenacity,” Goorjian said.
“He’s totally locked into the team right now — there’s no talk about tomorrow.
“He was extremely upset after Game 2. He’s strong-willed, and what you see is what you get.
“You weigh him over the series and the season, and you guys are telling me it’s one of the best finals performances you’ve seen.
“We love him here, and we love coaching him.
“His growth is in handling pressure, controlling the game, and getting others involved.
“You can’t duplicate this in the regular season. Being in this series helps him grow.
“I thought he learned a lot from Game 2 and showed growth in Game 3, especially in controlling his emotions.”
Game 3: Kendric Davis — First Quarter
9:25 – Defensive rebound9:18 – 3PT pull-up jumper missed
6:29 – 3PT jump shot made (assist: Dellavedova)
5:44 – 2PT driving layup made + foul drawn5:44 – Free throw made (and-one)
5:05 – Assist (to Galloway 3PT)
3:55 – 2PT driving layup made
2:34 – Foul drawn
2:27 – 3PT pull-up jumper made
1:59 – Foul drawn
0:54 – 2PT driving layup made
0:10 – 3PT pull-up jumper missed
Quick Read (Quarter Impact)
- Scoring: 12 points
- 3× 2PT makes
- 2× 3PT makes
- 1× FT
- Playmaking: 1 assist
- Pressure: 3 fouls drawn
- Rebounding: 1 defensive rebound
Kendric Davis — Second Quarter
9:36 – 2PT pull-up jumper missed9:03 – 3PT jump shot made (assist: Dellavedova)
8:36 – Assist (to Galloway 3PT)
7:49 – 2PT turnaround jump shot made
6:46 – 2PT driving layup missed
6:17 – Foul drawn6:17 – Free throw 1 of 2 made6:17 – Free throw 2 of 2 made
5:55 – Assist (to Noi 3PT)
3:39 – 2PT driving layup missed
1:21 – Foul committed (personal)
0:37 – Assist (to Dellavedova layup)
0:01 – 2PT driving layup made + foul drawn0:01 – Free throw missed
Quick Read (Quarter Impact)
- Scoring: 9 points
- 2× 2PT makes
- 1× 3PT make
- 2× FT makes
- Playmaking: 3 assists
- Pressure: 2 fouls drawn
- Misses: 3 field goals + 1 FT
- Fouls: 1 committed
Kendric Davis — Third Quarter
9:47 – Assist (to Cooks' layup)
6:53 – 2PT floating jump shot made6:37 – Defensive rebound6:28 – 2PT floating jump shot made
5:45 – Foul drawn
2:41 – Assist (to Soares layup)
2:10 – Assist (to Galloway 3PT)
1:24 – 3PT pull-up jumper made
0:45 – 2PT pull-up jumper missed
Quick Read (Quarter Impact)
- Scoring: 7 points
- 2× floaters (mid-range / paint touch)
- 1× 3PT make
- Playmaking: 3 assists
- Pressure: 1 foul drawn
- Rebounding: 1 defensive rebound
- Misses: 1 FG
Kendric Davis — Fourth Quarter
9:29 – Assist (to Cooks FT trip)
6:53 – 3PT pull-up jumper missed
6:37 – Assist (to Maluach layup)
5:19 – Assist (to Cooks And-1 layup)
4:36 – 3PT pull-up jumper missed
4:14 – Foul drawn4:14 – Free throw 1 of 3 made4:14 – Free throw 2 of 3 made4:14 – Free throw 3 of 3 made
3:44 – Assist (to Cooks dunk)
3:15 – Assist (to Cooks floater)
2:04 – Assist (to Craig and-one layup)
1:01 – Assist (to Soares 3PT)
0:45 – Foul drawn0:45 – Free throw 1 of 2 made0:45 – Free throw 2 of 2 made
0:18 – Assist (to Shaun Bruce 3PT)
Quick Read (Quarter Impact)
- Scoring: 5 points
- 5/5 FT
- Playmaking: 8 assists
- Pressure: 2 fouls drawn
- Misses: 2× 3PT attempts
For six minutes in the fourth quarter, Davis went from scorer to facilitator.
Between 9:29 and 3:15 minutes, he had five assists and created multiple paint touches. With 4:14 to go, he hit three big free throws and then from 2:04 to 0:18, he had three more assists.
As far as near-perfect games go, this was right up there with the greatest performances of all-time not just the NBL Grand Final history but in every game played in this league since 1979.
