Kings dominate Breakers for first win

The Sydney Kings have notched their first victory of the NBL season and kept the New Zealand Breakers winless with Kendric Davis delivering 28 points in a 97-75 thumping at Qudos Bank Arena.

Both teams were winless so far in NBL26 coming into the Saturday evening match up and each of them were struggling to find much of a groove in the opening half.

The Kings were still leading by seven points at quarter-time and then by five at the half, but the game was on the line coming into the third quarter where the home team took charge.

Sydney's offence got rolling in the third quarter with them piling up 31 points while holding New Zealand to 18 before then another 27 points to 23 in the fourth period on the way to the statement 22-point victory.

The win improves the Kings to 1-1 on the season on the back of shooting 51 per cent from the field with 19 assists to just seven turnovers.

The Breakers shot just 41 per cent including going 6/32 from behind the three-point arc as they slip to 0-4.

Superstar signing and last season's MVP runner-up Kendric Davis took 27 shots for his 21 points last week in his Kings debut, but was much more efficient this time around with 28 points with four assists on 11/17 shooting.

Tim Soares also hit a couple of threes on his way to 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks with Jaylin Galloway adding 11 points and Kouat Noi 10 with Shaun Bruce chiming in with six and four rebounds in his 350th NBL appearance.

Matthew Dellavedova might not have scored, but still had a significant say in the result with seven assists and six rebounds.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright (16 points, five rebounds, five assists), Rob Baker II (15 points, four boards, two steals) and Sam Mennenga (14 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals) battled hard for New Zealand.

They didn’t have enough support, though, and the struggles of Ray Borner Medallist at the Blitz Izaiah Brockington with eight points on 3/7 shooting remains a concern.

After a flat start, Sydney eventually got moving through Davis, whose 10 first-quarter points steered the hosts to a 22-15 lead at the opening change.

The Breakers' offence continued to be clunky, settling for outside shots which went largely unrewarded.

After trimming the gap to 39-34 at half-time, the visitors were blown away in the third term as Davis and Kouat Noi prospered down the stretch to open up an unassailable 70-52 cushion at three quarter-time.

Mennenga's vicious dunk over Soares was a rare highlight for the Breakers in the fourth term, which Davis and the rejuvenated Kings continued to dominate.

The Kings remain at home for a third straight match at Qudos Bank Arena to open NBL26 on Wednesday night against the undefeated Melbourne United.

Prior to that and the Breakers will play their first of three straight home matches when they host the also winless Illawarra Hawks at Spark Arena.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26

SYDNEY KINGS 97 (Davis 28, Soares 16, Galloway 11)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 75 (Jackson-Cartwright 16, Baker II 15, Mennenga 14)

BOX SCORE