Davis drives Sydney to one win from being crowned kings

Brian Goorjian hasn't seen a better performance than the Kendric Davis masterclass that guided Sydney to within one win of NBL glory in a 106-93 game-three defeat of Adelaide.

In front of the largest crowd in NBL history - 18,373 fans - Davis had the better of his championship series-defining match-up with Bryce Cotton, the man who pipped him for league MVP honours this season.

Davis had confronted Cotton after the Sixers' game-two win, but saved his most ferocious form for the court, hitting four of eight attempts from three-point range and attacking the paint all game.

The diminutive Texan finished with 34 points and 15 assists, clearly the player of the match as the Kings took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

"You don't play better than that," said Kings coach Goorjian, a six-time championship winner.

"You're seeing the two best in that spot go at each other. It's worth the price of admission. Kendric and Bryce are as good as they get.

"You're seeing greatness that's drawing out the best in both."

Incredibly, Davis finished without a turnover.

"I thought that was a typo," Kings centre Tim Soares said as he read the box score in the post-match press conference.

The crowd at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena booed Davis' rival guard Cotton with almost every touch on Sunday.

"It's play-off basketball right? Everybody's got their heroes and villains," said 36ers coach Mike Wells.

Cotton managed 12 assists as the Kings defence, in particular Matthew Dellavedova, harassed him throughout the afternoon.

It took Cotton (15 points) until the third minute of the final quarter to reach double figures for scoring, landing only five of his 15 attempts from the field.

Wells claimed the match officials did not call enough fouls on those guarding Cotton.

"If they want to beat up the MVP and take him out, that's what the refs have allowed him to do," he said.

"I'm telling my guys to fight through everything but Matthew Dellavedova didn't foul the whole night."

Davis memorably tore through the paint and put a lay-up through Cotton's foul to get Sydney within a point at the main break.

The crowd chanted "MVP" - Davis took to social media to lament missing out on the award earlier in the year - but he could not hit his free throw to level the scores.

The lead changed 30 times in the first three quarters, with neither side holding a double-digit advantage.

But the Kings opened the fourth term on a 7-0 run that featured quick three-pointers from Soares (12 points) and sharp-shooting Jaylin Galloway (17 points, five from eight three-point attempts).

It opened up a 10-point buffer that ensured Sydney never trailed again.

The record crowd was never more hostile than when Cotton contacted Davis's head as he attempted a three-pointer midway through the final term.

Davis went to the line to stretch the lead to what was then a game-high 15 points, and the Kings looked home.

"They outscore us 33-22 in the fourth. That's probably not the way you're going to be able to win play-off basketball on the road," Wells said.

John Jenkins led scoring for the Sixers with 22 points, including a perfect four from four three-pointers in the first quarter.

The Kings can win their sixth championship, and first since Goorjian returned as coach, with victory in Wednesday night's game four in Adelaide.