"Special" group reminds Goorjian of Kings of old

After easily accounting for reigning champions Illawarra on Friday night, the Sydney Kings moved to the top of the NBL ladder for the first time this season.

Powering that rise up the ladder is the fact the Harbour City side has now won 15 of its past 17 matches, including nine on the bounce.

This is a far cry from the Kings of the early part of the season, a team that languished mid-table with a 3-5 record.

As such, coach Brian Goorjian explained how proud he is of the growth of this side over the past few months.

“Early in the year, it was embarrassing just talking about trying to make the top six,” Goorjian said in Friday’s post-game press conference.

“[Fast-forward and] now we're here talking about wanting to win this whole thing. We feel like we've got something special going on here [and I’m really excited about my group].”

Key pillars to that group are American duo Kendric Davis and Torrey Craig.

The former had 24 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 25 minutes on Friday, to continue his MVP push, while the latter produced 8 points, 3 boards, 2 dimes, 2 steals and 1 block to make the Kings 6-0 during his stint in Sydney.

The dynamic duo reminds six-time champion Goorjian of a former pairing of his that helped guide Sydney to championship glory.

“When Torrey Craig walked in to join Kendric, it reminded me of when Chris Williams walked in to join Shane Heal,” Goorjian said.

“There's a similar feeling on this team [and they’re both great assets to our team.”

The Kings now have a quick turnaround, hosting a resurgent Perth Wildcats on Sunday at Qudos Bank Arena.

“We didn't plan on resting guys late ahead of Sunday, but it was nice to be able to do that,” Goorjian said.

“Especially for Kendric, for him to sit out the fourth quarter, and everyone else will benefit from those minutes

“Rest is our friend now before Sunday's game, and we'll do as little as possible together to try and rest as much as we can, so we'll give them a day off tomorrow and just come in a little earlier on Sunday.”

Sunday’s Round 21 fixture tips off at 4.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 10 Drama.