How to watch & talking points: Sydney v Adelaide (Championship Series, Game 1)

21 Mar 2026

sydney kings

adelaide 36ers

finals

Sydney will host Adelaide in Game 1 of the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Championship Series on Saturday evening.

Sydney Kings v Adelaide 36ers
Saturday, March 21, 7pm AEDT
Qudos Bank Arena

How to watch‍

‍Watch every Championship Series game live on ESPN and 10 Drama.

>> How to watch ESPN

Tickets

>> Ticketing information

How to follow & live scores

‍Live scores, stats, breaking news and game highlights are available via the new and improved NBL App.

>> Visit Game Centre | Download the free NBL App now

How both Championship Series rosters were built

Sydney Kings: Fit for a King: The rise, fall and return of Sydney

Adelaide 36ers: The road back runs deep: Adelaide’s rise revisited

Talking points

Bryce’s King struggles
Bryce Cotton had a historic regular season once again, on his way to claiming his sixth MVP.

Adelaide’s superstar guard averages over 24 points against seven teams in the NBL, yet only averaged 16.3 per game against the Kings.

Of those four matchups, Cotton was held to just seven points in one game and to just three through three quarters in another.

High-flying forwards
Outside of the MVP battle between Cotton and Kendric Davis, the power forward showdown might just be one of the most exciting we have seen.

The Kings have a former MVP in Xavier Cooks, who has proven to rise to the occasion, while the 36ers have Zylan Cheatham, who has been electrifying all season long.

Between the big dunks and blocks, these two stars are set to shine on the biggest stage.

What they're saying

Kings star Kendric Davis on what's driving his championship ambition:
"Look, any normal hooper wants to win MVP, and, if I don't, I want to win a championship. I think that's normal, hooper dreams.

“Winning a championship would be like, 'yeah motherf-ckers, I did it'.

“I think you have to find that edge that keeps you motivated, and you have to ride it.

"For me, I rode that; I didn't win MVP, cool ... I'll accept that, move on.

“For Sydney and my teammates, and for my legacy, you win a championship, they remember that forever.

“I saw the Melbourne Tigers get together; that meant a lot. 20 years down the line, I can see myself flying to Sydney to be honoured at an NBL game that happened 20 years before; I imagine my son, who'd be older, being with me. That'd mean the world.

“I don't think they fly you out for an MVP. I looked at it in that lens. I had some extra motivation, but now that we're here, forget that. Now it's like, what do I have to do to help my teammates and Sydney win this championship?"

36ers star Bryce Cotton on the strength of his team's frontcourt:
"They're all amazing.

"It's taken time for Nick [Rakocevic] to find his groove but, since he's found it, he's been absolutely unbelievable.

"With Z (Zylan Cheatham) and Ice (Isaac Humphries), it's been amazing. It's very rare you have three bigs on a team that have huge roles but they all bring something uniquely different to the court.

"That's something that's helped us throughout the entire year."