Sport
17 March, 2026
Dellavedova earns third chance at NBL glory
Matthew Dellavedova will have a third crack at an elusive NBL title after the Sydney Kings advanced to the Championship Series thanks to a dominant fourth quarter in a series clinching game against the Perth Wildcats.
While he added constant value on offence, much of the Maryborough product’s impact on Saturday occurred without the ball, registering two steals and playing suffocating defence on Perth’s game one hero Kristian Doolittle, restricting him to a 20 percent field goal percentage.
The Kings will play either the Adelaide 36ers or the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Championship Series after the Phoenix completed an 18-point comeback in a do-or-die game two on Saturday to force a game three tomorrow.
Dellavedova was moved into the starting lineup as the series headed to the RAC Arena for game two, wasting no time making an impact as he scored the first points of the match with a pretty floater.
That was the catalyst for Sydney to power out to a 15-6 advantage four minutes into the contest.
After cooling the Kings’ offence, the Wildcats managed to claw their way back from their earlier deficit, heading into the opening break with the lead after a late Elijah Pepper three made it 23-22.
The hosts carried that momentum to generate a seven-point lead early in the second term before a Dellavedova steal and three-pointer from the corner stunted that momentum, cutting Sydney’s deficit down to two.
With Dellavedova subbed out for the last seven minutes of the first half, both teams failed to generate a definitive edge as they traded buckets, with the half ending with the Wildcats up by 46-43.
Even with the Kings retaking the lead early in the second half with Dellavedova on the court, the Wildcats responded in kind, restoring their three-point advan-tage with a little over three minutes to play in the third.
Similar to the second quarter, Dellavedova provided a moment of magic on defence to give the Kings a timely boost.
With an intercept of a Dontae Russo-Nance pass intended for the much taller Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and an assist to Xavier Cooks, the four-time Olympian helped the Kings draw within one.
Dellavedova scored the only points after his steal and assist at the tail end of the third with a floater off the pick and roll to give Sydney the lead heading into the fourth.
Starting with a pair of Dellavedova free throws, the fourth quarter was the Kings’ domain, outscoring the Wildcats 29-16 as they sealed a Championship Series appearance.
With four points and an assist in the final term, Dellavedova ended with 11 points, a game-tying best of five assists and two rebounds in 23 minutes to go with his two vital steals.
After falling just short of NBL hardware to go with his NBA championship ring in back-to-back seasons with Melbourne United, which included winning Finals MVP last season, Dellavedova will look to make his third attempt at NBL glory count.