Star praises "one of a kind" teammate

Monday's match between the Sydney Kings and South East Melbourne Phoenix was billed as a clash of the competition's two top defensive sides.

But it turned into anything but a defensive duel, with the Phoenix running out winners 124-117 at Qudos Bank Arena.

While coach Josh King said he was proud his team found a way to win the track meet, superstar guard Nathan Sobey, who scored a team-high 26 points on Monday, was quick to highlight the exceptional play of John Brown III.

He may have only finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal, but Olympic bronze medallist Sobey knows his impact goes much further than the box score.

"It's pretty evident what that guy (Brown) does, whether it shows up on the stat sheet or not," Sobey said in Monday's post-game press conference.

"We know exactly how much he brings to us and what it means for us to get extra possessions after extra possessions. It's not just about him getting the rebounds either, rather keeping stuff alive, being aggressive on the defensive end and disrupting guys constantly.

"There isn't anybody like him. He's done it around Europe. He's done it around the world. He's one of a kind and is huge for us."

While Sobey was rightfully singing the praises of American import Brown, coach King highlighted the play of rising star Owen Foxwell, who finished with 16 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal.

"I have a lot of confidence in Foxy. He's a ball player," King said.

"Australia should be really happy that you got such a young prospect for years to come. He's competitive, he's tough, he's going to keep getting better and he's just so resilient.

"I'm happy I'm able to coach a guy like him."

The second-placed Phoenix, who are 15-7 on the season, host reigning champions Illawarra on Thursday at the State Basketball Centre, tipping off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.