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'Never stop': Craig's half-court bomb punctuates Kings win
Sydney Kings’ Torrey Craig celebrates knocking down a half-court shot at the final buzzer their Round 5 NBL27 clash against the Perth Wildcats at Afterpay Arena in Sydney on October 17, 2026. Photo: Josh Groom/basketball.com.au
Highlights
Perth were within seven points with five minutes left before Sydney closed the game on an 18-4 run.
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Former NBA veteran Torrey Craig ($290,400) switched to “Mamba Mentality” instead of waiting for the game to come to him in the Kings’ late 102-81 blowout win over a depleted Perth Wildcats in Round 5 of NBL27 in Sydney on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
Craig, 35, declared he needed to “send a message” after the defending champs had dropped two straight after starting the season 3-0. He capped his 26-point, 12-rebound double-double with a flushed half-court shot as the full-time buzzer sounded, then rushed to Kings owner Paul Smith in the first row on the baseline to celebrate.
“We just wanted to kind of come out and send a message,” Craig said.
“We know we wasn’t playing our best basketball. We lost two games we thought we should have won, so a lot of frustration built up.
“We just wanted to come out tonight, execute and play hard, and kind of send a message to get back on track.
“It felt good just to give the crowd some energy, and to send a message to the young guys on the team: we never stop playing, and we play to the final, final buzzer.
“Usually I just come into games and try to feel and work my way into the game.
“But after a couple of losses, I just wanted to assert myself by being aggressive early and kind of imposing my will early to help us get off to better starts.”
The 4-2 Kings are back on top of the ladder, while the Wildcats, without star imports Jo Lual-Acuil Jr ($318,100) and Kristian Doolittle ($317,500), dropped to 4-2, equal with the Kings and Tasmania JackJumpers but behind on percentage.
Kings big man Andrew Carr ($277,000) said Torrey was a leader both on the floor and off.
“He’s picking up full court every single possession, leaving it all out there,” Carr said.
“He’s such a big part of this team and sets such a great example for everybody.
“We just fall in line after him.
“He has so much basketball experience and knowledge. When someone’s in there giving all that effort, there’s no reason for all of us young guys not to follow and do the same thing.”
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Two of those guys are Makuach Maluach ($134,500) and Sydney-born Will Johnston ($69,000).
Maluach, 28, is shooting a ridiculous 62.5% from three (15-for-24) and 74% (37-for-50) from the field while 24-year-old cult figure Johnston is averaging 7.7 points in 13.9 minutes off the bench.
Maluach had 16 points against the Wildcats, and Johnston had 17 in 15 minutes off the bench.
“He’s a hooper,” Craig said of Johnston.
“This is his city. He loves it, obviously; you can tell. For him to come out here and play like that in front of his friends and family, it means the world to him, and it means the world to us. So hopefully he raises his confidence and continues to play at a high level.”
Kings head coach Brian Goorjian said of Maluach’s ability to knock down the three: “He’s got a beautiful shot, and we’ve talked about it a lot, but I’ve never had somebody who shoots the ball so much.
“You work Kendric out – he works out madly – and you work him out afterwards. You’ve had a practice session, then you talk to somebody, then you have a media interview. You turn to go, and he’s still down there, and guys are firing him the ball.
“There’s no secret. A guy like (Stephen) Curry, Andrew Gaze – you get perfect technique. When you watch him, the adjustment he’s made with the elbow and the lift, and then just constant reps. He’s repping it out.
“Green light to go. I feel really comfortable when he’s got some space shooting the ball. He’s gotten really good at the two-foot stop and the pull-up.
“We were excited last season, knowing we’ve lost (Jaylin) Galloway, we’ve lost (Kuat) Noi, we’ve lost Bul Kuol; how important that was. His development was something we thought you could be really excited about.
“The other thing is his voice. He’s becoming a stronger person in the locker room.
“Andrew coming in – really good person, really good chemistry piece.
“Then Torrey Craig, who you’ve talked about – I learn. He’s played for the best coaches in the world, in the best league in the world, and he brings some pearls that are really helpful. I’ve learned a lot from being around Torrey over this two-year period.”
Makuach Maluach: every NBL27 game
| vs Perth WildcatsPER | 26:01 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 7-9 | 77.8% | 2-3 | 66.7% | 0-0 | – | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs NZ BreakersNZB | 32:11 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 41 | 8-11 | 72.7% | 3-6 | 50.0% | 0-0 | – | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | Started |
| vs Adelaide 36ersADE | 25:38 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 5-7 | 71.4% | 2-4 | 50.0% | 0-2 | 0.0% | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| vs Brisbane BulletsBRI | 24:34 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 8-12 | 66.7% | 3-5 | 60.0% | 0-0 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | – |
| vs Illawarra HawksILL | 17:47 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 6-6 | 100.0% | 3-3 | 100.0% | 4-4 | 100.0% | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | – |
| vs Cairns TaipansCAI | 19:14 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3-5 | 60.0% | 2-3 | 66.7% | 2-2 | 100.0% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – |
| Season average | 24.2 | 15.8 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 23.5 | 6.2-8.3 | 74.0% | 2.5-4.0 | 62.5% | 1.0-1.3 | 75.0% | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.0 | – |
Where these numbers come from
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Wildcats head coach John Rillie told his team it was “next man up” without JLA and Doolittle.
“When the game goes, I can’t worry about that,” Rillie said.
“We can only manage who we have available.
“I just told them at the end of the game: the scoreboard isn’t a reflection. It’s how we compete and the things that we talk about — they’re the important things to get done.
“We’re all professionals. We all think we deserve more playing time, all of that type of thing. Well, there’s your opportunity. Go do it.”
Wildcats wing Dylan Windler ($271,100) added: “I think we rallied around the group we had. I think we competed for a large portion of the game.
“Obviously, they crushed us on the offensive glass and got a lot of extra possessions. They hit some daggers in moments where I felt like we were making a run.
“Then just some lapses defensively in transition – small things that took the wind out of our sails when we were making a run.
“We were in the game for most of it and had it pretty close in the fourth quarter, with a chance to try to take the lead. But just some lapses mentally, probably, and getting outworked in certain spots.”
What you need to know
- The Sydney Kings beat the Perth Wildcats 102-81 at Afterpay Arena in Round 5 of NBL27 on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
- Sydney won three of the four quarters, 31-21, 24-20 and 26-18, dropped the second 22-21, and never trailed after the scores were level at 6-6 early in the first.
- Torrey Craig ($290,400) top-scored with 26 points and 12 rebounds on 12-from-19, and Dylan Windler ($271,100) led Perth with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
- Sydney made 43 field goals to Perth's 30, while Perth starters Brandon Knight ($277,000) and Elijah Pepper ($202,700) combined to shoot 3-from-18.
- Sydney won the boards 48-37 and blocked five shots. Perth did not block one.
Sydney Kings
- Torrey Craig ($290,400) top-scored with 26 points and 12 rebounds on 12-from-19 in 30:21, with six turnovers.
- Kendric Davis ($436,000) had 23 points and eight assists on 9-from-22, including 3-from-8 from three.
- Will Johnston ($69,000) scored 17 off the bench in 15:06 on 6-from-9, including 3-from-4 from three.
- Makuach Maluach ($134,500) added 16 points on 7-from-9, including 2-from-3 from three.
- Andrew Carr ($277,000) had 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks off the bench on 6-from-12.
- Xavier Cooks ($308,000) had five points, five rebounds and three assists on 2-from-5.
- Jayden Stone ($100,000) grabbed six rebounds off the bench in 15:37.
- Sydney shot 43-from-83 from the field, 11-from-32 from three and 5-from-8 at the line, with 48 rebounds, 18 assists and 12 turnovers.
Perth Wildcats
- Dylan Windler ($271,100) led Perth with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on 6-from-15, including 5-from-5 at the line.
- Jimmy Whitt ($69,000) scored 15 off the bench on 7-from-11.
- Anthony Dell'Orso ($100,000) had 13 points and two steals on 5-from-11.
- Brandon Knight ($277,000) had 10 points and six assists on 3-from-11, including 2-from-8 from three.
- Cameron Huefner ($58,500) scored eight off the bench on 3-from-4, including 2-from-3 from three.
- Angus Brandt ($100,000) had eight points and seven rebounds on 3-from-4.
- Elijah Pepper ($202,700) went 0-from-7, including 0-from-5 from three, in 22:08.
- Perth shot 30-from-71 from the field, 9-from-32 from three and 12-from-17 at the line, with 37 rebounds, 22 assists and 15 turnovers.
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