Bogut Praises Kings' Incredible Game 2 Win

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Sydney Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut declared the Kings’ win in Game 2 “the best win” he can remember.

Sydney Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut declared the Kings’ win in Game 2 “the best win” he can remember during his time at the club.

Bogut - who played for the Kings for two seasons and won the NBL19 MVP - became a part owner of the club in 2021.

The Kings' levelled the Championship Series with the seven-point win over the Breakers at Spark Arena after dropping Game 1 at home.

All-NBL First Team members Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr missed the majority of the game, but the defensive tenacity showed by Justin Simon and company not only led the team to victory, but also impressed Bogut.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No Cooks? No Walton Jr? No worries. We're back at 1-1 and it's all on the line at Qudos Bank Arena. Who will prevail? ?<br><br>?? 7:30pm AEDT Live & Free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies<br>?? 9:30pm NZDT Live on Sky Sport & Prime <a href="https://t.co/q19tbt4Blc">pic.twitter.com/q19tbt4Blc</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1632610323831336961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No doubt - it's the best [win] I can remember," Bogut told the Sydney Kings website.

"It was such a grind and a game that we controlled from the start, making them work for everything they got.

"Hearing two of our guys [Cooks and Walton Jr] were banged up and still trying to give it a go before they were pulled out pretty early, was nerve-wracking - I'm not going to lie.

"But the fact the guys stuck together and ground out the tough win was sensational,” he said.

The 2015 NBA Champion saved special praise for Justin Simon and centre Jordan Hunter for stepping up in Cooks and Walton Jr’s absence.

"Justin's three straight steals at that stage of the game, which all led to dunks and lay-ups, came at a point when both teams were struggling to score - so to get easy baskets as we did at that time was sensational," Bogut said.

"Jordi was really good and dictated terms defensively - not allowing any easy looks in the paint.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justin Simon took Game 2 personally ?<br><br>The former NBL DPOY locked down the Breakers offence and recorded six steals in Sydney's dramatic Game 2 win ?<br><br>Who gets one step closer to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> title after Friday's Game 3? ? <a href="https://t.co/h5Mb0T2hde">pic.twitter.com/h5Mb0T2hde</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1632560274766200833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Kings host game 3 and the continuation of the NBL23 Championship Series against the Breakers on Friday night at 7:30pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena.

Watch the game live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies.