Razorbacks push Kings to the end

The Sydney Kings had to fight to the end against a spirited West Sydney Razorbacks outfit to win their 26th game of the season 110-99 at the Sydney SuperDome last night.

On paper the match should have been a one-sided affair between the first and last-placed sides, but the NBL ladder counted for nothing as the cross-town rivals both had much at stake. West Sydney were playing for pride in their final home game of the season, while the Kings were playing to secure the minor premiership for the fourth consecutive year.

The home side produced a strong first quarter display where they matched the Kings' 27 points. However, the last-placed Razorbacks looked all but beaten in the second term remaining scoreless for the first seven minutes of play while the Kings advanced to a 59-46 half-time lead.

But after the half-time break, West Sydney came out and did the seemingly impossible producing a thrilling turnaround.

Urged on by the loyal crowd, the Razorbacks produced defensive pressure so great that they forced the Kings into three shot-clock violations in the third term. West Sydney captain Scott McGregor (25 points) made important shots for his team, and Cam Rigby (16 points) produced three triples to get the Pigs back in the game 76-82 at three quarter time.

There was no love lost between the sides as niggling defence made way to pushing and shoving. When an altercation between West Sydney's Graeme Dann and Sydney's Luke Kendall got out of hand, Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian used two of his timeouts to diffuse the tension and get his team back on track.

The Razorbacks' fighting spirit did not wane and they were able to further reduce the Kings' margin in the final term, getting to 102-99 in the final minutes. But Sydney captain Jason Smith (21 points) punished West Sydney's mistakes in the last minutes, netting vital points to protect his side's spotless home record.

Kings coach Brian Goorjian was pleased with how his young side held on for a win. "This was playoffs atmosphere in the last eight minutes of the game ... and I thought the young guys stepped up again in a game that was very, very important and emotional for them."

West Sydney coach Mark Watkins was also proud of the way his side challenged the 2006 minor premiers.

He said, "We certainly made a game of it and I was really proud of how we went about our business tonight. I told the guys it was our grand final."

"Whether we're out of the playoffs or not it's our last home game at our home venue, and that's what we did."

The Kings take on the New Zealand Breakers at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Monday, while the Razorbacks face the Wollongong Hawks in their final game of the season.

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