Kings win as Next Stars Toohey and Lopez go at it

NBL Next Stars Alex Toohey set the tone early for the Sydney Kings, scoring his team’s first nine points, and put the exclamation mark on the 92-84 road win (Game Centre) against the New Zealand Breakers with a breakaway right hand slam with just seconds left on the clock in the Round 13 NBL25 clash.

The 20-year-old 201cm forward led the Breakers 9-4 with the home team desperately fighting to end their six-game slide.

The Breakers, playing their first game at Spark Arena since November 2, led for most of the contest, including by as much as eight in the fourth quarter. But the Kings closed the game with a dominant 16-3 run in the final three minutes, flipping a five-point deficit into an eight-point victory.

Toohey finished with a double-double, delivering a tremendous performance of 21 points and 11 rebounds. His energy and scoring provided the foundation for the Kings’ third consecutive win, lifting them to an 11-7 record. Kouat Noi was on fire, dropping 26 points on 10-from-14 shooting, while Jaylen Adams contributed 17 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. Xavier Cooks added 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Kings coach Brian Goorjian was pleased with his team’s trajectory.

"Who knows what's going to happen from here, but we have positioned ourselves nicely," he said.

"We've got a nice record, we're sitting in a nice spot. I like the way we're progressing."

Despite the loss, the Breakers showed significant improvement after losing their previous six games by an average of 22 points. Parker Jackson-Cartwright led the way with 25 points and eight assists, including several clutch threes to end quarters.

NBL Next Star Karim Lopez, just 17-years-old contributed 18 points but was hampered late after badly twisting his ankle. He sat out a few minutes but came back in the fourth quarter but was clearly hampered. Former NBA player, the 7'6" Tacko Fall added 15 points and nine rebounds on 7-from-11 shooting.

Breakers coach Petteri Koponen lamented his team’s late-game execution.

"We lost our poise," he said.

"We stopped sharing the ball, we lost patience. Small details in the end. But we gave them a fight. That's why this one hurts."

The game opened with Toohey’s offensive outburst, but the Breakers quickly responded, fuelled by Jonah Bolden’s three-pointer against his former team. A 13-0 run, highlighted by Jackson-Cartwright and Bolden, gave the Breakers a 19-15 lead at quarter-time. New Zealand maintained momentum through the second quarter, extending their lead to eight before Noi’s 15-point second period brought the Kings back into the contest.

Even with Sydney’s push, the Breakers clung to a 51-44 halftime lead thanks to Jackson-Cartwright’s off-balance, rainbow three-point buzzer-beater. The Breakers shot a blistering 57% from the field in the half, compared to Sydney’s 45%.

In the third, the Breakers briefly built a nine-point lead, but the Kings countered with a 10-0 run, including a triple from Tyler Robertson.

New Zealand blew an eight-point in the final period, but Sydney refused to go away, with Noi’s crucial three giving the Kings the lead with 90 seconds remaining. Adams then stepped up with two decisive buckets, capping a late surge. The Kings score 16 of the game’s final 19 points.

Both teams now prepare for NBL Christmas Day action, with the Breakers visiting the Tasmania JackJumpers and the Kings hosting the league-leading Illawarra Hawks.