SYDNEY - A vintage shooting performance from Glen Saville set Sydney on their way to a 101-98 final win over Perth in a fiesty first game of their NBL semifinal series.
Saville, who's experienced his lowest scoring season in 10 years, exploded for 15 points in the firstterm at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and finished with a team high 24 for the game.
Perth slashed an 11-point deficit to four in the final term, but three Saville three-pointers ensured Sydney the win.
The result gave Sydney coach Brian Goorjian a victory in his 100th NBL playoff game and gave the Kings the upper hand before game two of the best of three series in Perth on Wednesday.
Forward Shawn Redhage kept the Wildcats in the hunt with a match-high 26 points including 10 in the last quarter.
The only team to beat the Kings in Sydney this season, Perth led 15-9 early on, but Sydney wrested control with an 11-0 run to hold a 27-23 buffer at the first break.
The matchup between the league's two best defensive teams produced some heated exchanges in the opening quarter.
With one minute 30 seconds to go Redhage took exception to a foul by Sydney forward Mark Worthington.
There was another flare up at the end of the quarter when Sydney forward Russell Hinder and Perth guard Gerald Brown clashed, with the two coaches both seeking out referees after the period ended.
Excellent field goal shooting kept Perth in touch during the second quarter in which they committed a ghastly tally of 10 turnovers.
Sydney led 53-46 at halftime, but had their advantage slashed to just three early in the third quarter.
A rare four-point play from Sydney guard Luke Kendall and three quick baskets to import forward Isaiah Victor helped blow the home team's cushion to 13 and they led by nine at the last change.
A scoring spurt from Redhage trimmed the gap to four, but Saville's three late three-pointers kept Perth at bay.
