Partizan beat Kings in dramatic PGT thriller

The guns from the Sydney Kings all impressed but Jabari Parker and KK Partizan held on to win a thriller 93-90 in front of a big and loud Qudos Bank Arena crowd as part of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament.

Qudos Bank Arena was rocking for the arrival of the Serbian powerhouses led by former NBA star Parker to take on the Kings and right until the final buzzer, it was a hotly contested affair.

The passion was high and intensity from the teams on the floor, the coaches on the sidelines and the fans in the stands only continued to grow the longer the game went and with a win up for grabs.

In the end it was an offensive rebound for Partizan that led to a put back basket from Carlik Jones that sealed the win for the Serbian giants but the Kings had a host of good looks to force overtime.

With time running down, Kouat Noi missed the first look at a three ball not long after hitting a huge triple right in front of the Partizan bench before he told his opponents to shoosh.

Xavier Cooks then pulled down three offensive rebounds on that one last possession and both Noi and Kendric Davis missed another look at the three, but it was Jaylin Galloway turning down a wide open look that might have been the biggest missed opportunity.

Despite the three-point loss, there was a lot to like from Sydney especially from Galloway with 20 points on 6/10 three-point shooting.

Davis also finished with 19 points and four rebounds despite shooting 5/16 from the floor for the Kings while Noi had 15 points and five boards, and Cooks 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Championship winning centre Tim Soares also had 11 points and six rebounds but there was a dramatic moment in the fourth quarter when he picked up a fifth foul much to the frustration of coach Brian Goorjian.

Matthew Dellavedova also had 10 assists for Sydney as his back court pairing with Davis picks up steam ahead of the NBL season-opener for them.

Partizan threw everything at getting the win and did come away with the three-point victory with 321-game NBA veteran Jabari Parker playing a starring role with 24 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Malik Milton added 22 points, four rebounds and two assists, Carlik Jones 18 points and five assists, and Sterling Brown 17 points and 12 boards.

Vanja Marinkovic also hit a three-quarter court shot right on three quarter-time for Partizan to keep his team leading by three in another highlight play for the enthusiastic crowd.

The Kings will now turn their attention to their first game of the NBL season for 2025/26 when they play host to the Cairns Taipans next Sunday back at Qudos Bank Arena.

PAVLOS GIANNAKOPOULOS TOURNAMENT 2025

SYDNEY KINGS 86 (Galloway 20, Davis 19, Noi 15)

KK PARTIZAN 88 (Parker 24, Milton 21, Jones 18)

BOX SCORE