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Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers NBL26 Championship Final Game 1 Tips - Cotton’s 36ers cover
The NBL25 Championship Final Game 1 features the Sydney Kings against the Adelaide 36ers, with experts suggesting that Adelaide is poised to cover the 5.5-point spread. While Sydney is favored in their home court, Adelaide's Bryce Cotton, supported by players like Zylan Cheatham, poses a formidable challenge. Cheatham's tenacity on the rebounds and DJ Vasiljevic's long-range shooting could be critical for Adelaide. Sydney, with players like Torrey Craig and Kendric Davis, will need a cohesive team effort to maintain their edge. The series showcases an intense battle between depth and individual brilliance.
- Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers expert predictions for Saturday’s Championship Final NBL matchup
- Tip-off is at 7:00 PM AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena
- Adelaide expected to cover the 5.5-point spread against Sydney.
- Look out for Zylan Cheatham's rebounds and Torrey Craig's scoring.
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers NBL26 Championship Final Game 1 Tips
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers NBL25 Championship Final Game 1 Expert Tips
The NBL Championship Final Series will pin Sydney versus Adelaide and is likely to go down to the wire, that’s why the 5.5-point start for Adelaide in Game 1 is too large with the 36ers expected to cover.
- Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers NBL25 Championship Final Game 1 Expert Tips
- Head to Head
- Sydney Kings Form & Team News
- Adelaide 36ers Form & Team News
- Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t get me wrong, I expect Sydney to get through this one, but giving Bryce Cotton 5.5 points is too large for me to resist. The Kings won 3 of 4 games against the 26ers this season and both at Qudos Bank Arena, however, the matches were close in Sydney and Adelaide would have covered that line.
Sydney have more reliable depth and should win this game at home and eventually win the series, but you cannot be 100% confident with that because Adelaide have Cotton and he took matters into his own hands in their series against the Phoenix and he also has enough support around him to snatch victory and put pressure on the Kings.
This series will be decided by what each team gets outside of Kendric Davis and Bryce Cotton, so I like the secondary props game. The most obvious is Zylan Cheatham and 10+ rebounds, which he has averaged in his last 3 against the Kings.
In scoring, the Kings will need a strong start to the series from Torrey Craig to take a little pressure off Davis. Craig dropped 26 against Adelaide this season so 15+ is reachable. DJ Vasiljevic comes into the Championship series in as good of form as he has been all season so 3+ threes is certainly in range and will also do the Cotton a world of help.
- Adelaide lost by less than 6 points in both matches at Qudos Bank Arena in NBL26
- Zylan Cheatham averaged 11.33 rebounds in his last 3 matches against Sydney.
- Torrey Craig averaged 16 points per game in the Kings semi final series vs Perth.
- DJ Vasiljevic has made 13 threes in his last 3 matches.
Head to Head
Last 5 Match Results
| Date | Home Team | Score | Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25/01/2026 | SYD | SYD 106-101 | SYD -4.0 | O 180.5 |
| 02/01/2026 | ADE | ADE 85-79 | ADE -2.5 | U 180.5 |
| 17/12/2025 | SYD | SYD 97-93 | SYD +2.5 | O 186.5 |
| 11/10/2025 | ADE | SYD 103-79 | SYD +4.5 | U 185.5 |
| 13/02/2025 | SYD | ADE 95-88 | ADE -4.0 | U 191.5 |
Offensive & Defensive Rankings
| SYD Off | Rank | Stat | Rank | ADE Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.3 | 2 | PPG | 4 | 87.6 |
| 42.2 | 4 | RPG | 1 | 40.1 |
| 48.6% | 1 | FG% | 5 | 44.6% |
| 35.6% | 2 | 3P% | 2 | 31.6% |
| 9.1 | 1 | TOV | 7 | 10.6 |
| SYD Def | Rank | Stat | Rank | ADE Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87.2 | 2 | PPG | 4 | 92.2 |
| 41.5 | 7 | RPG | 7 | 41.2 |
| 43.4% | 2 | FG% | 3 | 46.6% |
| 32.3% | 3 | 3P% | 1 | 36.1% |
| 12.9 | 3 | TOV | 5 | 11.1 |
Sydney Kings Form & Team News
Sydney skimmed through their semi final series against Perth with a 2-0 victory.
It was two very different performances from the Kings against the Wildcats. Game 1 was fast paced and an offensive showcase from both teams at Qudos Bank Arena, which ended in the Kings coming back late, recovering from a Kristian Doolittle explosion to snatch a 105-104 victory.
Game 2 was different. The Kings gave nothing up inside, to Doolittle or Jo Lual-Acuil, forcing the Wildcats to shoot more from the perimeter and late on the shot clock which proved to be a much more controlled tactic.
One thing was constant in both games and that was Kendric Davis, 35 points in Game 1, followed by 27 in Game 2. But Davis isn’t doing it alone either, the bench of the Kings scored 36 points in the first and 35 in the second game as Sydney’s constant pressure at both ends of the court was unmatched.
Adelaide 36ers Form & Team News
Adelaide went to three games with South East Melbourne in their semi final series saving their best performance to Game 3. The 36ers came off the blocks fast in the decider, getting out to an 11-point lead which they never relinquished in their 108-96 victory.
There were times when the Phoenix closed in as close as 5 points at one stage, however, Bryce Cotton switched on and blew the margin straight back out to double digits again.
The six-time MVP scored no less than 29 (Game 2) and up to 42 points (Game 1) in this series with a 38 pointer (Game 3) in between. He is completely undefendable and it certainly felt in this series, especially the decider that he scored at will.
Zylan Cheatham and Nick Rakocevic have played the big role superbly through the semi final series and all season for that matter, however, besides Cotton DJ Vasiljevic was the difference.
DJ averaged 19.33 points against the Phoenix, well above his season average of 10.3. He gave Mike Wells a secondary scorer, especially from outside, sinking 13 threes from 26 attempts in the semis.
Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers start?
Tip-off between Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers is at 7:00 PM AEDT, Saturday, March 21
What channel is Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers on?
You can watch Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.
Where can I livestream Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers?
If you are outside of Australia, the NBL allows you to stream live on YouTube via the official NBL channel
Verdict
Adelaide will cover the 5.5 points as the underdog in Game 1. Zylan Cheatham will record 10+ rebounds and DJ Vasiljevic will make 3+ threes for Adelaide , while Torrey Craig will register at least 15 points for Sydney,
Adelaide +5.5
Handicap/Line
$1.91 - 3 Units
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