Kings prevail, but Harrell sets NBL alight

Montrezl Harrell made a spectacular NBL debut to close HoopsFest at RAC Arena but Cam Oliver, Jaylen Adams and Xavier Cooks were too much for the Adelaide 36ers as the Sydney Kings prevailed 102-94.

In a game where the Kings still ended up winning by eight, the 36ers outscored them by 23 points in just over 20 minutes with the former NBA Best Sixth Man on the floor.

It didn’t take long for the explosive big man to become an NBL excitement machine on his return from an ACL injury, but ultimately the Kings had too many weapons to open their season with Brian Goorjian back at the helm victors.

Sydney come into the season as the league's hot title favourites and shot to a 16-point lead in the opening four minutes.

But Adelaide, inspired by Harrell and former Kings championship winner DJ Vasiljevic, turned the tables to take a five-point lead into the final quarter.

That's when Sydney's enviable depth came to the fore, with Next Star Alex Toohey (15 points, three boards, three assists, three steals) bursting to life with 10 points in the last to help lift his team to victory.

Bul Kuol (nine points, 3/5 three-point shooting) had been playing aggressive all afternoon on debut with the Kings and nailed two important triples as the Kings outscored their opponents 32-19.

Former MVP Jaylen Adams finished with a game-high 25 points, while Cam Oliver (19 points) and returning captain Xavier Cooks (19 points, 13 rebounds) were also crucial.

For Adelaide, Vasiljevic and Lat Mayen scored 23 points apiece with the former hitting 4/7 from deep and the latter 3/3 in his first game with the 36ers, while Harrell finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Experts spent the whole pre-season talking about why the Kings deserve to be hot title favourites, and it took Goorjian's men just four minutes to show why.

In the hottest of hot starts to the match, the Kings raced to a 19-3 lead inside four minutes to stun the 36ers.

Adams scored the first eight points of the match to showcase his immense talent.

But just as crazy was Adelaide's comeback, with the 36ers remarkably taking a 28-27 lead into quarter time after Mayen caught fire with nine points and Jason Cadee added six.

The second quarter was eerily similar.

The Kings burst to a 46-31 lead before Adelaide, powered by three triples from Vasiljevic, reduced the margin to three points by half-time.

Harrell had a major influence in the third quarter, scoring six points, slamming in a big dunk, and pulling off a superb block on Cooks.

After slapping away Cooks' shot, a pumped-up Harrell went to the nearest TV camera to celebrate.

Harrell's energy helped lift Adelaide to a 75-70 lead by three-quarter time.

But it was all Sydney in the final term as Kuol and Toohey surged, handing Goorjian victory in his celebrated return to the Kings.

The Kings will remain in Perth for a highly anticipated match up with the Perth Wildcats on Friday night while the 36ers head to Far North Queensland to play the Cairns Taipans on Saturday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2024/25

SYDNEY KINGS 102 (Adams 25, Cooks 19, Oliver 19)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 94 (Vasiljevic 23, Mayen 23, Harrell 13)

BOX SCORE