Dellaved-OVER: Kings end United streak at 9

• ‍Sydney Kings: Five things you need to know‍
• Kevin Garnett: 'Before Steph, there was Shane Heal'‍
• Brian Goorjian anoints new King Delly: 'It's his team'
• Sydney’s Kingdome era: sellouts, stars and heartbreak — Tim Morrissey recalls the '89–94 NBL seasons

NBA champion and Kings captain Matthew Dellavedova went into hostile territory and snapped his former club's nine-game winning streak to start NBL26, leading Sydney to an intense 95-92 win against Melbourne United in Round 7 at John Cain Arena on Monday, November 3, 2025.

Kings head coach Brian Goorjian was jokingly relieved it was someone else on the end of a home crowd's treatment as Dellavedova knocked down four threes and dished seven assists against the team he helped take to the NBL25 Grand Final series.

"I was pumped, really, ’cause usually it’s me getting barbecued — Adelaide, whatever — so it’s nice to have somebody else!" Goorjian said.

"But seriously, coming from the NBA and into environments like this, my speech didn’t mention Delly or the crowd.

"It was: 'This is why we practice. Take risks. Be free-spirited. Enjoy this. Go into the competition. Communicate. Huddle. High-fives. Live bench. Don’t even look at the scoreboard'.

"So the Delly thing wasn’t discussed. And the more you get on guys like him — pros — the more they produce. He had a blinder tonight. I hope they boo him again."

Melbourne had a chance to go up or tie the ball game with 16 seconds left but United centre Jesse Edwards missed a pair free throws. United put Kings guard Kendric Davis on the line with four seconds to go and he made both to put Sydney up 95-92.

United had a chance to tie it up a sidelines out of bounds play but Shaun Bruce stripped Milton Doyle as he rose up behind the arc.

Streak over. United is now 9-1 and the Kings 5-5.

Sydney centre Tim Soares, who finished with six points, eight boards and block in 27 minutes, responded to Dellavedova being booed by United faithful. The crowd number was 10,175, mostly United.

"We showed that in Adelaide backing up KD, and this time we just took more pride," Soares said.

"We had a lot more physicality, which dictated a lot of the game. We wanted to compete — and for sure we wanted to do it for Delly as well.

"We’ve got great pros in the locker room who understand we didn’t finish well against Tassie or in some other games.

"That can’t affect your day-to-day. If it does, you can’t move forward. A big piece is learning from mistakes — raising your hand and saying, 'Yeah, that’s my bad', fixing it, being clear about it.

"We were clear — 'Tim, you’ve gotta be better here', 'X, you’ve gotta be better here' — and we took it on the chest and moved forward. That was a big piece."

United head coach Dean Vickerman said: "I never think booing’s a good thing — especially for a guy that gave everything for our club. I didn’t enjoy that."

But Vickerman did praise the home fans after creating an atmosphere, first against the 36ers in Round 6 and again against the Kings.

"Our crowd was great both games — I thought they did enough to get us across the line," Vickerman added.

"There’s late-game execution — needing a three for the win — Milt was the guy we wanted to go to, and somehow Fab found himself wide open as well. Could we have made that extra pass?

"We thought they were going to miss free throws, so we’re thinking about the last two seconds — how do we either draw a foul or get off a great shot when they’re missing? Lots of scenarios to go through that played out tonight — you get better for all of those situations."

All-NBL First Team guard Kendric Davis scored a game-high 34 points for the Kings on 13-from-25 from the field in 35 minutes. Vickerman gave 17-year-old NBL Next Star Dash Daniels his assignment down the stretch.

He’s quick. He can change directions really fast, come off those screens, stop on a dime and get that shot off. It’s hard to stop any guy like that — just trying to stay in front and limit his catches," Daniels said.

"It all came down to defense in the end — trying to stop Kendrick from getting downhill, getting to his game, the mid-range and all that.

"I was trying to stay in denial stance, not let him get the ball, and force others to attack the basket and beat us that way.

"I thought they played a great game. We came out a little slow and lacked a little energy — which happens sometimes — but we’ll bounce back.

"We’ve got another game in two days, so looking forward to that."

Key Details

• Result: Sydney Kings 95 def. Melbourne United 92
• When: 3rd November 2025
• Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings) starred with 34 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 35 minutes.
• Tyson Walker (Melbourne United) scored 22 points, had nine rebounds, five assists in 29 minutes.

What Happened

The Sydney Kings established control early, jumping out to a 30-25 lead after the first quarter behind Kendric Davis' hot shooting. The teams matched each other point-for-point in the second period, with Sydney maintaining their five-point advantage (54-50) heading into halftime.

Sydney continued their strong play in the third quarter, outscoring Melbourne 23-19 to build their largest lead of the game to 12 points. However, Melbourne refused to surrender, rallying in the fourth quarter with a 23-18 advantage as they attempted to erase the deficit.

Davis was outstanding for Sydney, connecting on 13-from-25 from the field including 4-from-8 from beyond the arc. His 34-point explosion came at crucial moments, repeatedly halting Melbourne's momentum whenever the home team threatened to take control.

For Melbourne, Tyson Walker delivered an efficient performance with 22 points on 9-from-11 shooting, complemented by nine rebounds and five assists. Milton Doyle added 19 points but struggled with four turnovers, while Jesse Edwards contributed 12 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.

The Kings' superior three-point shooting proved decisive. Sydney connected on 12-from-29 (41.4%) from deep compared to Melbourne's 7-from-27 (25.9%). While Melbourne out-rebounded Sydney 44-38 and showed better field goal efficiency (49.3% to 44.9%), their 11 turnovers compared to Sydney's six gave the Kings additional possessions that ultimately proved critical.

Matthew Dellavedova played a key role for the Kings with 12 points and seven assists, while Xavier Cooks added 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 6-from-10 shooting. Bul Kuol was perfect from the field, scoring 17 points on 5-from-5 shooting including 6-from-6 from the free-throw line.

The contest featured a remarkable 25 lead changes, highlighting the competitive nature of the matchup. Despite Melbourne's fourth-quarter surge, Sydney managed to hold on for their third point win, extending their time in the lead to nearly 30 minutes throughout the game.