Bullets struggle against Kings pressure

Still without Hunter Maldonado and losing Alex Ducas early, the Brisbane Bullets struggled with the defensive pressure of the league's best defensive team as the Sydney Kings scored the 95-70 home win.

The Kings played host the Bullets on Tuesday night on a five-game winning streak and having beaten Brisbane by 37 points at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on November 1.

The Kings have continued to build since then and that continued on Tuesday night with their defensive pressure tough for the Bullets to deal with especially after Ducas went out of the game with a foot injury, and with injury replacement import Maldonado yet to be cleared to play.

Sydney were in control of the contest virtually from the outset to lead by as much as 31 points on the way to the 25-point win on the back of shooting 50 per cent from the field to the 35 from the Bullets along with attempting an extra eight field goals and seven free throws.

The Bullets ended up shooting 10/33 from behind the three-point line as a team with eight of those makes courtesy of Sam McDaniel and Tohi Smith-Milner.

McDaniel finished with 18 points and four assists on 4/7 shooting from long-range with Smith-Milner also going 4/7 on his way to 12 points with four rebounds.

Captain Mitch Norton provided 15 points and assists with Tyrell Harrison contributing 12 points and seven rebounds, Tristan Devers four points, three boards and two steals, Javon Freeman-Liberty four points, seven rebounds and three assists, Jacob Holt three points, six boards and three blocks, and Terry Taylor two points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Kings had plenty of strong contributors in their win including former MVP Xavier Cooks finishing with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Last season's MVP runner-up Kendric Davis had 14 points and seven assists with Tim Soares contributing 14 points and seven rebounds, Makuach Maluach 11 points and three boards, Kouat Noi 10 points and six rebounds, and Bul Kuol nine points and six boards.

Terry Taylor scored the game's first points and then Mitch Norton added to that on the next possession, but Sydney soon took control with a 10-0 scoring run which unfortunately was a sign of things to come.

By quarter-time it was the Kings leading on their home floor 24-15 thanks to shooting 12/18 from the field opposed to the 6/18 from the Bullets.

Sam McDaniel and Tohi Smith-Milner both knocked down two three-pointers apiece for the Bullets in the second quarter but the Kings continued to build on their lead and went into the half-time interval leading 51-30 again on the back of shooting 56 per cent from the floor to Brisbane's 33.

The Sydney lead grew to 27 to start the third quarter before both McDaniel and Smith-Milner steadied things for the Bullets by knocking down another three-pointer apiece.

The Bullets then did get the deficit back to 24 on the back of a 9-2 run, but by three quarter-time it was Sydney leading 77-49.

Norton and Tristan Devers hit a triple each early in the final period and the Bullets did manage 21 points in that last 10 minutes, but it didn't stop the Kings going on to win by 25.

The Bullets have now played their last game of 2025 but they will play the first NBL game of 2026 when they open up the New Year hosting the Perth Wildcats at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26

BRISBANE BULLETS 70 (McDaniel 18, Norton 15, Smith-Milner 12, Harrison 12)

SYDNEY KINGS 95 (Cooks 20, Davis 14, Soares 14)

BOX SCORE