Sydney wins Australia's National Basketball League title

Wed, May 11, 2022
NBA News (AP)

SYDNEY (AP) - The Sydney Kings swept the best-of-five National Basketball League final for their first Australian title since 2005 by beating the Tasmania JackJumpers 97-88 on Wednesday.

Sydney outscored the JackJumpers 31-19 in the final quarter to win its fourth NBL championship.

Watched by an NBL final record attendance of 16,149 at Qudos Bank Arena in western Sydney, the Kings trailed after each of the first three quarters but never by more than eight points.

Xavier Cooks (23 points and 13 rebounds) and Jarell Martin (22 and 16) had double-doubles for Sydney, with former NBA player Ian Clark scoring 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Josh Adams scored a game-high 27 points for the JackJumpers.

The Kings were playing without American import and league MVP Jaylen Adams, who also missed the second game with a hamstring strain. Adams, who signed a 2021-22 contract with the Kings last August, played at St. Bonaventure University and made brief appearances with three NBA teams or their development squads.

The JackJumpers were also playing without two of their top players - Fabijan Krslovic and Jack McVeigh, who were out with undisclosed illnesses.

The JackJumpers were the surprise of the NBL this season despite making their league debut. The team from the island state of Tasmania started slowly but secured a spot in the NBL finals with a come-from-behind semifinal series win over defending champion Melbourne United.

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