Kings fight back to beat Bullets in NBL

Jubilant Sydney coach Andrew Gaze has sung the praises of Brisbane's import Travis Trice after the Kings upset the Bullets 101-95, but insists he wouldn't swap his own match-winning American, Jerome Randle, for any player in the NBL.

After finding themselves down 14-0 after just five minutes of action on Saturday, the Kings clawed back into the contest on the back of Randle, skipper Brad Newley, Todd Blanchfield and Jason Cadee, who all finished the tense battle with double figures.

Randle stepped up in the dying minutes with two huge plays that led to crucial baskets by Blanchfield and Cadee, which secured the much-needed win for the last-place Kings.

Randle finished with a game-high 27 and seven assists while Blanchfield impressed after returning from injury, with 20 points and three boards.

Trice (19 points) impressed Gaze with his tough scoring plays despite the heavy defensive pressure the Kings applied to him at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"I thought Trice was really extraordinary tonight," Gaze admitted.

"He set the tone from the start. We got Travis tonight at his absolute best. He's a super player."

Having said that, Gaze reserved his highest accolades for his own livewire guard Randle, who took over the game in the dying minutes.

"I'm glad he is on our team as I am sure Trice is on his," Gaze said.

"Jerome does things in a controlled and measured way.

"He has an extremely high basketball IQ.

"I'd like for him to cut down on a few of those turnovers but sometimes with a player like him you have to take the good with the bad.

"Sometimes when he gets into heavy traffic he makes spectacular plays."

It's been a tough month for Gaze but the six-point win had him smiling and looking forward to Christmas lunch with his family.

"We (the Kings) can all enjoy Christmas and then it will be back to the reality of being 5-13 (last on the ladder)," he said.