The NBL pacesetters made it four wins in a row after a dominant 108-87 victory over Perth.
More than 7000 fans turned out to watch the Sydney Kings beat Melbourne United in the first professional sporting fixture played on December 25 in Australia.
NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger believes other summer codes are watching silently as his league becomes the first to play on Christmas night.
Sydney coach Chase Buford says the Tasmanians have improved since they met in last year’s championship series,but his NBL-leading side are ready for the challenge on Sunday.
Sydney Kings forward Kouat Noi has made his 25th birthday a night to remember by drilling a game-winning three-pointer on the buzzer.
The reigning champions were frustrated by turnovers and poor free-throw shooting. “We were just awful with the ball tonight,” Kings coach Chase Buford said.
Getting in early has helped the Kings snap up two new imports,including a former NBL Defensive Player of the Year,as they look to secure a consecutive championship win.
Basketball is set to go where no other Australian professional sport has gone before by playing a Christmas Day game at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
A large crowd in Circular Quay celebrated the Kings first title in 17 years as star Jaylen Adams remains coy on his future.
Playing “import bingo” and keeping the faith in young recruits helped the Sydney Kings rebound from the devastation of a grand final loss in 2020 to claim their first NBL title in 17 years.
The Sydney Kings pulled off a sweep of the best-of-five series,beating the Tasmania JackJumpers 97-88 to claim the NBL title in front of a 16,149 home crowd.