The Sydney Kings edge the Perth Wildcats 105-104 on Wednesday night to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three playoff series, but any satisfaction will be tempered by how close they came to losing. Neither team gained breathing room in a contest that swung constantly through four quarters, with 56 lead changes reflecting the intensity both sides brought to the Qudos Bank Arena.
The Wildcats, seeded fourth after battling through the play-in tournament, announced their intentions immediately. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. opened the scoring with a floater inside before Perth surged ahead on an 8-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Dylan Windler and Ben Henshall to establish a 10-2 advantage. If Sydney's layoff before the playoffs was going to matter, this looked like proof.
But Kendric Davis put together an MVP-level season, averaging 24.4 points and 6.7 assists per game, and the American guard began to find his rhythm as the first quarter wore on. A late burst from Davis swung the momentum Sydney's way, with the Kings guard drilling a three-pointer before forcing a steal and racing the length of the floor for a layup to send the home crowd into a frenzy and give Sydney a 48-44 lead at halftime.
Davis continued his dominant performance with a series of big baskets, finishing with a game-high 35 points. His partner in the backcourt, Matthew Dellavedova knocked down a corner three to give Sydney its first lead of the game in the second quarter. Both sides kept clawing back; neither could shake the other.
The closing stages belonged to free throws and desperation. Xavier Cooks overcame a season of poor free-throw shooting to ice three foul shots and put the Kings in the lead during the final two minutes. The Wildcats had one last chance. Doolittle pushed the ball up the floor and rose for a jumper in the final seconds. The shot narrowly missed, and Lual-Acuil Jr.'s tip attempt fell just short as the Kings escaped with the one-point victory.
Coach Brian Goorjian, a seven-time Coach of the Year, guided the Kings to the No. 1 seed, while the undermanned Wildcats earned the No. 4 seed and progressed through the play-in tournament. Despite the season-long gap between the two sides, the Wildcats took confidence from a strong performance that saw them push Sydney to the limit throughout the night.
The Kings' 12th consecutive win puts them in the box seat for a first championship series appearance since Goorjian returned last season. But Perth's resilience means this series is far from over. In a best-of-three format, one loss is not fatal; all it takes is a pair of wins. Game 2 is Saturday in Perth, where the Wildcats will have home court advantage and an increasingly dangerous belief that they can upset the league's best.