Adams stars in Kings' fightback win over Bullets

The Brisbane Bullets did so much right but ultimately fell to a 10th straight loss at Qudos Bank Arena with former NBL MVP Jaylen Adams inspiring the defending champion Sydney Kings to score the game's last 15 points to win 104-95.

It was a game the Bullets will leave feeling frustrating to lose having been in control for much of the afternoon.

That included a 14-point lead shortly before half-time, but the Kings went on an 18-0 run either side of the break to grab the moment.

Brisbane were back in control, though, with just over three minutes to play leading by six before once again, Sydney took over and this time it was for good.

A pair of Adams buckets and two key plays from DJ Hogg - the second an interception on Mitch Norton's pass and open-court dunk to finish - put Sydney back on top.

They scored the last 15 points of the game and held firm in the desperate final stages to post a third-straight win and 10th successive home victory over the visiting Bullets.

It left the Kings (7-3) outright second on the ladder behind league-leading Melbourne United (9-2).

Adams was outstanding in the second half and led all scorers with 24 points plus four assists, while Hogg (16 points, six rebounds) and Jonah Bolden (13, nine) also had a significant say.

Kings coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah hailed his team's resilience.

"Basketball's a game of runs and especially the last one ... they (Brisbane) didn't score in the last 3:12 or so," Abdelfattah said.

"Guys just battled through. We made some subs and I went through eight guys in that time span and they all contributed in their roles.

"You can't win every game easily and they're not going to quit but it was a dog fight. I'm proud of them, they battled back."

Brisbane led 51-37 late in the first half on the back of an even scoring spread but saw the advantage rapidly disappear.

The Kings' fightback left Bullets coach Justin Schueller frustrated, while star centre Aron Baynes was forced to sit on the bench when he ran into third-quarter foul trouble.

Baynes eventually fouled out late in the final period. Brisbane's front-court stocks took another hit when they lost Tyrell Harrison to a calf injury but they rallied against the odds and held sway with a 95-89 lead, with just three minutes left.

Two crucial Adams buckets cut the Kings' deficit to one point before Hogg but his stamp on the contest and captain Shaun Bruce iced the game.

Bullets captain Nathan Sobey led Brisbane with 17 points as Josh Bannan (16) and Baynes (13) also made their presence felt.

"There's been a few games so far this season where we've been in winnable positions but we've let them go and it's a frustration because we know how great we can be in this league," Schueller said.

"Part of our learning right now is like how do we get 40 minutes of consistency?

"The last five minutes we let them have 17 points. We'd been solid all game and it's a frustration. That's the only word I've got for it."

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 7

SYDNEY KINGS 104 (Adams 24, Hogg 16, Toohey 12)

BRISBANE BULLETS 95 (Sobey 17, Bannan 16, Baynes 13)

BOX SCORE