'Vulnerable' Kendric Davis puts rest of the league on notice

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With great power comes great responsibility, and Sydney Kings superstar Kendric Davis ($436,000) admits he is learning on the job as he faces more double teams in NBL27.

Davis bounced back from a less-than-pretty 3-for-16 (12 points) and five turnovers against Melbourne United on Sunday to lead the Kings to a 99-91 road win against the Perth Wildcats in Round 7 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at RAC Arena.

The NBL26 Grand Final MVP had 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on 9-from-18 in 38 minutes as Sydney demolished the Wildcats in the first half and kept them at arm's length in the second.

"I just wanted to come out and be aggressive, be me," Davis said.

"The last few weeks I've been overthinking it. Teams have been throwing double teams at me. I'm not used to that right now, so I'm getting used to it.

"I'm saying it out loud because I'm not scared to be vulnerable. I'm 27, so I'm seeing new looks that I haven't really seen much; my teammates haven't seen much.

"Today they let me kind of play a little bit in the first half. As you saw in the second half, they started doubling way more, and we've got to get better at that.

"But I've just got to keep trusting in what I do. My teammates believe in me. The message was: be you. If you've got to shoot over two hands, shoot it.

"That was the message: be aggressive."

The Kings are still without injured Australian Boomers and NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova ($221,300), but smooth operator Torrey Craig ($290,400) has stepped up in his absence, both in leadership and in the box score.

The 35-year-old American NBA veteran finished with 26 points (11-for-20), five rebounds and two blocks in 33:14 minutes.

"He's been saving us," Davis said.

"When they put two on me, he's ready to knock it down. (Xavier Cooks ($308,000)) in the short roll is playing well. (Jayden) Stone – I mean, it's a team effort. (Andrew Carr ($277,000)), Harry (Wessels) – it's a team effort right now.

"We're a young group. We've got like five guys playing who have never played professionally before.

"It's new to me. I'm 27. Our leader, Delly's not here. This is new to us.

"It's a great challenge. We're just trying to grow and become the best team we can this year."

The Kings are 6-3, moved up to second, while the Wildcats dropped to 5-3 and third.

Two-time MVP runner-up Davis missed all of the Kings' preseason, and his shooting numbers in NBL27 are below his career average - 21.8 points per game (40.9%) vs 24.1 (45%) - but his rebounding and assists numbers are both up: 4.2 boards vs 4.0; and 8.1 assists vs 7.7.

"So much better," Davis said when asked if they had more headroom to grow.

"We don't have Delly. Our first-year guys are still trying to learn.

"I'm not shooting the three-ball anywhere near where I'm supposed to be shooting it. We know the numbers don't lie. Eventually they'll even out.

"I'm not even playing at my best right now, and we're still, what, top two on the ladder? We've got a lot of room to grow.

"Our coach is still learning us. Tyler (Robertson) came in today and stepped up big for us.

"We haven't even scratched the surface of who we are yet."

The Kings led 59-42 at the half after pulling the Wildcats apart in the first quarter, 33-17.

"They played really well in the first 20 minutes of the game," Perth head coach John Rillie said.

"They executed well. We weren't disruptive or pesky enough.

"KD gets some good early looks, gets his mojo going. Torrey Craig's playing at a high level. They're a good team for a reason.

"We couldn't arrest any kind of momentum until the end of the second quarter. I'll have to watch the film. I felt like we got good shots. That's the difference when you make them, and you don't, and you're playing against a quality opponent."

In a positive sign for Rillie and the Wildcats, NBA veteran import Brandon Knight ($277,000) poured in 27 points on 7-for-18 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free throw line in just his fourth game.

"I love what he brings, Wildcats veteran Jesse Wagstaff ($84,700) said.

"I love what he brings on the court, and I love what he brings off the court.

"I think he's fitted in really well. His maturity and who he is as a person is just as important.

"There's not too many guys who can come in and take almost a game-winning charge last week and then hit a game-winning [unclear].

"How he goes about his business and how he conducts himself is very, very good."

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NBL27

Perth Wildcats vs Sydney Kings | Round 7 Highlights

Watch the highlights as the Perth Wildcats take on the Sydney Kings in Round 7 of NBL27 on October 28, 2026.

What you need to know

• The Sydney Kings beat the Perth Wildcats 99-91 at RAC Arena in NBL27 Round 7 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in front of 10,095.
• Sydney won the first quarter 33-17 and led 59-42 at half-time, and although Perth won the third 28-21 and the fourth 21-19, the Wildcats never led and got no closer than 80-76 in the fourth quarter.
• Torrey Craig ($290,400) led Sydney with 26 points on 11-from-20 and Kendric Davis ($436,000) added 24 points and nine assists, while Brandon Knight ($277,000) top-scored for Perth with 27 on 7-from-18.
• The game was decided from the field, where Sydney made 37-from-67 and Perth made 29-from-73, giving the Kings 90 field-goal points to the Wildcats' 71.
• Perth went 20-from-20 at the free-throw line to Sydney's 9-from-13, but that only clawed back 11 of the 19 points Sydney had won from the field, with Makuach Maluach ($134,500) and Tyler Robertson ($106,800) combining for 7-from-8 from three.

Sydney Kings

• Torrey Craig ($290,400) top-scored with 26 points on 11-from-20, including 4-from-11 from three, with five rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes.
• Kendric Davis ($436,000) had 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on 9-from-18 in 38 minutes, including 3-from-7 from three.
• Andrew Carr ($277,000) added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench on 5-from-9, with three steals.
• Makuach Maluach ($134,500) scored 14 points in under 17 minutes, hitting 4-from-5 from three.
• Tyler Robertson ($106,800) made all three of his three-point attempts for 11 points off the bench in 14 minutes.
• Jayden Stone ($100,000) had five points and four rebounds and was plus-11 in 19 minutes off the bench.
• Xavier Cooks ($308,000) scored two points but had five assists and a team-best plus-13 in 32 minutes.
• Sydney shot 37-from-67 from the field, 16-from-33 from three and 9-from-13 at the line, with 38 rebounds, 24 assists and 11 turnovers.

Perth Wildcats

• Brandon Knight ($277,000) top-scored with 27 points on 7-from-18, including 3-from-10 from three and 10-from-10 at the line, in 30 minutes.
• Elijah Pepper ($202,700) scored 17 points on 6-from-19, including 5-from-14 from three.
• Dylan Windler ($271,100) added 16 points on 6-from-13, including 3-from-7 from three, in 25 minutes.
• Kristian Doolittle ($317,500) pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, with six points and three assists in 34 minutes.
• Jaron Rillie ($177,100) had seven points and four assists off the bench in 22 minutes, going 3-from-3 at the line.
• Anthony Dell'Orso ($100,000) scored seven points on 3-from-6 in 15 minutes off the bench.
• Jesse Wagstaff ($84,700) scored six points, including 4-from-4 at the line, in 16 minutes.
• Perth shot 29-from-73 from the field, 13-from-37 from three and 20-from-20 at the line, with 37 rebounds, 19 assists and eight turnovers.