Sydney Kings take the game to NBA side LA Clippers in Hawaii

IT had been a bleak tour of the US for NBL sides so far but the Sydney Kings restored some pride against the LA Clippers in Honolulu.

The Kings pushed the LA Clippers in their preseason match in Honolulu.

THE Sydney Kings were well within striking distance of the NBA’s LA Clippers for most of their match until the Clippers pulled away late.

The Kings had put in a classy performance, staying between four and 10 points of the Clippers throughout the second half until a late run blew out the final score to 110-91.

After going into the first break down 28-17, it looked like it would be a long night for the Australians again following Melbourne United’s loss to Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers and the Perth Wildcats’ thrashing at the hands of Dante Exum’s Utah Jazz over the past two days.

But the Kings showed plenty of heart, pulling the score back to a five-point deficit at the main break and outscored the Clippers 37-31 in the second quarter in an impressive display.

While the Clippers pushed it back out to an 82-72 scoreline at the end of three, the Kings were still in the match and were pressing for the lead at times through the third.

It took until late in the fourth for the Clippers to get away from the Kings.

Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell swings from the basket after dunking against the Kings.

Big name Kings signing Andrew Bogut scored eights points but was a big presence in the game with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block but his teammates have been taking up the pointscoring slack.

Jerome Randle scored a game high 25 points, while Kevin Lisch scored 16 and Daniel Kickert had 13.

For the Clippers, Tobias Harris had 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Daniel Gallinari has 19 points for the match.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Tobias Harris has his shot blocked by Bogut.

Both sides had been busy from outside the arc but weren’t able to dominate with the Kings shooting 9/25, while the Clippers are 9/33 attempts.

The Clippers finished second in the Western Conference Pacific Division in last years’ NBA but missed the playoffs with a 42-40 record.

The Kings gained plenty of respect for their performance, especially after losing Bogut for some time after some knee contact in the first half.

Halftime

Well done @SydneyKings. Great half of basketball against the @LAClippers

Great shooting by @kicks14. More offensive production from @jerome_randle as well as great activity by the kings wings.

Get a few stops and they can win this. #NBAxNBL

— Mark Worthington (@Wortho33) October 1, 2018

Awesome job to hang in there by the kings only down 8pts with 6 to go. Turnovers and bad shots are key in 🤑 time!

— Shane Heal (@ShaneHeal) October 1, 2018

Come on Kings. Hanging in, hanging in. Turnovers!! Big last few mins coming up but regardless of result, restored some lost @NBL cred today.

— Boti Nagy (@boti_nagy) October 1, 2018

Fantastic first half from the @SydneyKings. They only trail by five points. @jerome_randle is making a statement. The Kings are putting the @NBL on the map. 🇦🇺🏀💪 @telegraph_sport

— Matt Logue (@mattlogue7) October 1, 2018

Yeah, so the Sydney Kings are hanging in there out in Honolulu

— Law Murray 🎭 (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 1, 2018

Speaking last week, Kings coach Andrew Gaze said the Kings wouldn’t be overawed by their NBA opponents.

It was the experience last year against the Utah Jazz which has given the Kings the confidence to compete.

“I think we are prepared, the guys that were there, because they got a first hand experience against that level of talent,” Gaze said.

“As such, you’re probably not as awe-struck as we were the first time around. But it doesn’t diminish the challenge at all. There’s still a realisation that this is the elite level, the highest level you can play at in the world up against a team that has a renowned legendary coach that’s going to be well organised and present us with some significant problems.

“The guys are really excited about the opportunity to test themselves and hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves.”

To receive articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our sports newsletter here

Originally published as Sydney Kings take the game to NBA side LA Clippers in Hawaii