R13 Game Preview: Phoenix v Kings

Opponent: Sydney Kings

Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

When: Sunday, April 11 – 3.00pm AEST

Broadcast: SBS Viceland, SBS On Demand, Twitch, NBL TV

Phoenix NBL21 Record: 12-9 record (third on ladder)

The Phoenix and Kings are both looking to bounce back from tight losses in a vital Sunday afternoon clash in Sydney.

Both sides are firmly in the finals race and will view the clash as a great opportunity to enhance their prospects of featuring at the pointy end of the season.

The game is the first of three matchups between the two teams in the next fortnight.

South East Melbourne are still yet to defeat Sydney in their short NBL history.

SQUAD

Ryan Broekhoff (low grade groin strain), Dane Pineau (knee jar) and Kendall Stephens (achilles) will miss.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Keifer Sykes returned in Friday night’s loss to Illawarra and looked superb coming off the bench.

The guard scored 14 points in 21 minutes and was immediately back to his lightning-quick best.

With a matchup with Casper Ware on the cards, Sykes will be psyched to win that head-to-head, which could go a long way to deciding which team wins the game.

OPPOSITION REPORT

Sydney sit sixth on the ladder with a 10-11 record.

In their last outing, a close loss to Perth, they unfortunately lost star rookie Dejan Vasilijevic to a season-ending Achilles injury. Watch out for Didi Louzada to step up in his absence.

Casper Ware leads the team in points and assists while big man Jarrell Martin leads in the rebounds and blocks departments. The quality import duo pose the biggest road block to the Phoenix earning their first win over the Kings.

HISTORY VS. OPPOSITION

Head-to-Head Record:

Phoenix 0 Kings 5

NBL21:

Kings def Phoenix 91-85

NBL20:

Kings def Phoenix 90-86

Kings def Phoenix 110-98

Kings def Phoenix 98-81

Kings def Phoenix 99-96

Sam Bunn for Phoenix Media (11/04/2021)