NBL

Sydney Kings have defied injuries to Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr to level the NBL grand final series against New Zealand Breakers with an 81-74 win ...

Their lead stretched to 13 when Vasiljevic started the second stanza with a terrific drive and another three-point bomb but with Walton sidelined, NZ trimmed the gap to four points at halftime. The hosts were ice-cold early, missing their first eight shots and taking almost five minutes to get off the mark as Sydney controlled proceedings with their aggressive defence. Sydney Kings have defied injuries to Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr to level the NBL grand final series against New Zealand Breakers with an 81-74 win in game two.

The Sydneysiders saw two key starters sidelined by injury, but still had too much for the Kiwi club to handle in game 2 of the championship series.

The home side found a better offensive flow in the second quarter, making eight of 15 shots to battle back into the contest with a 21-13 second term, and trail by just four (34-30) at the major break. The Breakers could not have started worse, held to just nine points in the opening quarter as they made 4 of 18 shots, had 9 turnovers and trailed by a dozen (21-9) at the end of a term best forgotten. The Breakers, who shot an abysmal 37% from the floor (26 of 71) and 31% from beyond the arc (11 of 35), clearly have a lot to think about as they prepare for game 3 in Sydney on Friday. The Breakers simply could not survive two horror scoring periods – they had just 9 points in the first quarter and 11 in the third. But it’s a series, it’s one loss, it’s 1-1 and we pick ourselves up and we go again.” But it was the visitors who produced the heroics as the Kiwi outfit came up with their worst performance of the post-season, and were outplayed by the defending champions who led from pillar to post.

Despite Brown's surge in the dying minutes, the Breakers were unable to catch up as their composure faltered during important parts of the game. Credit: https ...

[](https://nnn.ng/#:~:text=ninjaoutreach alternative) [NBL](https://nnn.ng/tag/nbl/) grand final series against the [New Zealand](https://nnn.ng/tag/new-zealand/) Breakers with an 81-74 win in Game Two. [Foreign](https://nnn.ng/foreign/)

Sydney coach Chase Buford has slammed social media trolling of injured star Xavier Cooks, who sat out the second half of the depleted Kings' gutsy NBL grand ...

“When he went at McDowell-White three times in a row in that third quarter, it totally changed the momentum of the entire game and we never really looked back after that.”AAP He is averaging five points while shooting 18 per cent for the series. “We probably had no business winning this game with the outs we had.” “I really challenged him, told him if we were comparing his defence in Game One to Game Three (semifinals against Cairns) against DJ Hogg, it’s night and day,” Buford said. “I took him out at the five-minute mark and he said to me, ‘I can’t move my legs’,” Buford said. “We knew before the game both of them were unlikely to give us much,” Buford said.

Xavier Cooks will join the Wizards after finishing the NBL Finals with the Sydney Kings this week.

NBL MVP Xavier Cooks has signed with the NBA's Washington Wizards according to ESPN. The deal ties him to the franchise until the end of the 2023-2024 ...

The series is currently tied 1-1. Cooks will join the Wizards following the Sydney Kings’ finals series clash with the New Zealand Breakers. NBL MVP Xavier Cooks has signed with the NBA’s Washington Wizards according to ESPN.

Cooks, who'll join the Wizards as soon as the Kings complete play in the NBL Finals this week, comes to the NBA on a contract buyout and becomes the fifth ...

In his fourth season there, he was the Finals MVP in 2021-22 and the league's MVP in 2022-23. Cooks has played for Chase Buford, a former coach of the year in the NBA G League with Wisconsin who led Sydney to a title last season. Cooks, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is regarded as a switching, versatile defender with excellent passing skills.

There will be a 11th Australian playing in the NBA very soon after Sydney Kings star Xavier Cooks signed a deal with the Washington Wizards.

I’m about to be 28 years old next year. “I’m not a spring chicken anymore. Series begins March 3. The Kings need to win two more games to claim back-to-back titles and send Cooks to the NBA on a winning note. Australia has another player in the NBA after NBL MVP and Sydney Kings star Xavier Cooks signed a deal to go to America. There will be a 11th Australian playing in the NBA very soon after Sydney Kings star Xavier Cooks signed a deal with the Washington Wizards.