Cotton’s Buzzer-Beater Stuns Kings as Series Swings Back to Life

Alexander Bebendorf

Bryce Cotton delivered one of the defining moments of the NBL season, racing the length of the court and hitting a buzzer-beating winner to seal a dramatic 91-89 victory over the Sydney Kings at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, levelling the Championship Series at 1-1.

With the scores locked in the dying seconds following a crucial defensive stop, Cotton took control. He pushed the ball up the floor and, with time expiring, buried the match-winner to send the home crowd into raptures.

Cotton finished with a game-high 28 points, and after being well contained in Game 1, made sure he had the final say, both on the scoreboard and in a heated exchange with Kendric Davis after the final buzzer, with teammates forced to intervene.

Davis again led Sydney with 20 points, but this time the Kings couldn’t close. Despite building a 14-point lead in the third quarter, they were gradually reeled in before the game turned into a tense, possession-by-possession battle late.

The intensity had been simmering all night. Matthew Dellavedova once again took on the challenge of guarding Cotton, limiting his early involvement — the Adelaide star didn’t register a shot attempt until five minutes into the game and committed a pair of early turnovers under pressure.

Adelaide responded to an early deficit with a sharp 10-0 run in the first quarter, sparked by John Jenkins, to take control briefly before Sydney answered. Torrey Craig, who set the tone early, poured in eight first-quarter points and helped the Kings to a five-point lead at the first break after a late 9-0 run.

Momentum continued to swing wildly in the second term. Sydney looked to have steadied, with Craig again finding his range from deep, but Adelaide surged once more: this time with a 12-2 run that brought the crowd to life. Jenkins knocked down another three to push the 36ers ahead 44-37, forcing a timeout.

The Kings responded late in the half, briefly reclaiming the lead, only for DJ Vasiljevic to answer from beyond the arc and give Adelaide a one-point edge at the break.

From there, it became a grind. Sydney appeared to have done the hard work when they opened up a double-digit lead in the third quarter, but Adelaide refused to go away. Possession by possession, they chipped back until the margin disappeared entirely, setting up a frantic final stretch.

In the last minute, the tension finally boiled over. Cotton drew a foul from Davis and calmly hit two free throws to tie the game, sparking a verbal exchange between the pair.

The series now shifts back to Sydney for Game 3 at Qudos Bank Arena, with momentum suddenly on Adelaide’s side after one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.