12

Oct

Watch Now

'Maturity': Delly hails under pressure King Davis

Written By

Peter Brown

Senior Editor

'Maturity': Delly hails under pressure King Davis
'Maturity': Delly hails under pressure King Davis

Kendric Davis of the Sydney Kings and Flynn Cameron of the 36ers during the round four NBL match between Adelaide 36ers and Sydney Kings at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on October 11, 2025 in Adelaide. Photo: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Highlights

Sydney Kings crush Adelaide 36ers 103-79 as Dellavedova praises Davis’ poise and leadership.

  • Sydney Kings rout Adelaide 36ers 103-79 in Round 4 of NBL26.
  • Kouat Noi explodes for 29 points off the bench in 24 minutes.
  • Kings hold Bryce Cotton to seven points in stifling defensive effort.

NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova had high praise for returning All-NBL First Team point guard Kendric Davis as the Sydney Kings delivered an absolute 103-79 beatdown of the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Round 4 of NBL26.

He knew this was gonna be a big game coming in, and he just did a great job keeping his composure," Dellavedova said.

"He had a bit of foul trouble in the first half, but in the second half he came down, executed well, got some big buckets, found guys when we needed scores.

"For him to do that shows a lot of maturity.

"He’s a basketball head — always sending me clips and talking the game. He just wants to keep improving, keep getting better, and I’m happy to see it pay off for him tonight."

Davis, 26, delivered his most efficient scoring game of the season, going 9-from-16 from the field, finishing with 22 points, three rebounds, and three assists. He was +22 in 27 minutes.

The Kings ganged up on five-time MVP Bryce Cotton and held the 33-year-old 36ers star to just seven points on 10 shots (blowing up SuperCoach NBL!)

"We felt like last year, with the group that we kept, we have a nice chemistry, a nice group. And we feel like the guys that we’ve brought in are gonna take us to playing like we did tonight," head coach Brian Goorjian said.

"And the guy next to me — having him in an environment like this, where you’re coming in, the situation with KD tonight, what he’s walking into — a new group of men — and having him with the ball in his hand, running the team, controlling the defensive schemes — made me real comfortable on the sideline.

"And as you say, the bottom line was the defense and the rebounding. We’re small, we’re undersized, we’ve lost our two bigs coming into this — can we compete with that team on the glass, and can we defend? If we can’t, we can’t win. And we did that very well tonight.

"Took the Super Bowl out of his (Cotton) hands, took him out of the areas he wants to be in — you couldn’t have done that any better.

"There’s been a lot of conversation, I guess, about the team and the question marks.

"But one of the things after the Melbourne game was — I just think we have a team that can be very elite defensively.

"What was disappointing in that Melbourne game was the defensive side of the ball.

So it was a real focus coming in tonight. It’s a strength having Bull, having Galloway, having Delly, having (Makuach Maluach) — they all can come in and play a guy like Bryce, who’s as good a player as ever to play in this league.

"So it’s no easy feat what the guys did tonight, but it was a gang effort — it wasn’t one guy. Bull did a great job in the second half; his size and length were a big factor."

Key Details

By the Numbers

  • Kouat Noi (Sydney Kings) starred with 29 points, six rebounds, and one assist in 24 minutes.
  • Flynn Cameron (Adelaide 36ers) scored 15 points, and had eight rebounds, seven assists, and one steal in 30 minutes.

What Happened

The Sydney Kings established control early, outscoring the Adelaide 36ers 29-19 in the opening quarter to set the tone for what would become a dominant performance. The visitors maintained their momentum through the second period, extending their lead to 54-41 by halftime behind efficient shooting and strong rebounding.

Sydney's offensive firepower continued after the break as they won the third quarter 25-23, pushing their advantage to 79-64 heading into the final frame. Any hopes of an Adelaide comeback were quickly extinguished as the Kings closed out the game with a clinical 24-15 fourth quarter performance to seal the convincing 24-point victory.

Kouat Noi delivered an exceptional performance off the bench for Sydney, pouring in 29 points in just 24 minutes of action. The forward was outstanding, shooting 8-from-13 from the field, including 4-from-7 from three-point range, while converting 9-from-10 from the charity stripe. His efficiency was instrumental in the Kings' offensive success.

The Kings' superior shooting proved decisive, as they connected on 51.35% of their field goal attempts (38-from-74) compared to Adelaide's 42.86% (30-from-70). Sydney also dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 43-37, with Tim Soares collecting a game-high 12 boards. Matthew Dellavedova contributed seven assists, while Xavier Cooks filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks.

For Adelaide, Flynn Cameron led the way with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Dejan Vasiljevic added 14 points including four triples. Despite these efforts, the 36ers struggled to contain Sydney's balanced attack, with five Kings players scoring in double figures. The home team's three-point shooting woes (10-from-32, 31.25%) compounded their difficulties in keeping pace with the visitors.

Related Articles

See all articles

Stay in the Loop with the latest Hoops