The Sydney Kings have defied the absence of suspended head coach Chase Buford and extended their lead atop the NBL ladder by walloping the Tasmania JackJumpers 97-77 at Qudos Bank Arena.
The Kings were super efficient throughout the Friday night grand final rematch, connecting on a sizzling 69 percent from the floor, including 78 percent from two-point range, while smashing the JackJumpers on the boards 38-21.
Sydney outscored Tasmania 56-20 in the paint, spearheaded by captain Xavier Cooks (23 points at 83 percent).
Opposition skipper Clint Steindl (13 points) top-scored for the JackJumpers who plunged from fifth position to seventh.
"It was a good old-fashioned butt whooping," JackJumpers coach Scott Roth said.
"They were much more aggressive and we got our butt handed to us."
The visitors led 26-25 at quarter-time thanks chiefly to their harassing defence which forced the Kings into numerous early turnovers - and 23 for the match.
The JackJumpers maintained their narrow lead in the second stanza before Sydney went on a 10-0, 90-second tear, pinching the lead and never again conceding it.
Cooks finished the quarter with 10 points inside the last four minutes as the Kings moved ahead 54-44 at halftime, before extending their buffer to 77-62 at three-quarter-time, far too great a deficit for Tasmania to reel in.
Kevin Lisch, the Kings' senior assistant, ran the show on Friday night after Buford was ruled ineligible to participate after breaching a one-game suspended sentence.
Buford was deemed to have contravened the league's code of conduct when he kicked a door in frustration following the Kings' epic double-overtime loss to South East Melbourne in Traralgon a fortnight ago.
Last season, Buford was fined $10,000 and handed a suspended one-match ban for insinuating NBL referee Chris Read held a bias against his team and writing profanities on the officials' door following a close loss to Illawarra.
A fortnight later, in Game 2 of the grand final series against the JackJumpers, Buford was fined $375 after angrily kicking the LED advertising signage, resulting in damage to the panel.
Buford's latest indiscretion triggered the suspended sentence.
"He (Buford) has done a great job of building a program that's resilient ... one guy falls out, whether it's a player or coach, and the next person steps up," said Lisch, who found out in the morning he would be coaching.
"The fight and willingness to play for each other was good to see."
