The Sydney Kings returned to their old heart-stopping ways when they needed overtime to beat the Perth Wildcats 107-97 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

After a blistering start, the Kings slumped to a miserable 15-point second quarter to trail by nine points at the main break.

They still trailed by three at the end of the third quarter, with the game tied up at 92 each at fulltime, but they stormed home 15-5 in the extra period.

"It was a lesson to us not to take anyone too easy," Kings captain Matthew Nielsen said.

After a comfortable win against Perth two weeks ago, the Kings started tonight's game in similar fashion and raced to a 34-26 lead after twice holding a 14-points advantage.

Their game plan collapsed under a welter of poor shots, with the ball continually aimed from long range and failing to find its target.

However, coach Brian Goorjian had plenty to say at halftime as Perth reversed the trend to lead 58-49.

"We were shaky and threw the ball all over the court in that second quarter, which suited Perth, but we pulled ourselves together and tightened our game in the second half," he said.

"We'd beaten Perth three times in a row prior to tonight and knew they would be desperate."

Nielsen and guard CJ Bruton were the stabilising factors in the latter stage, with Nielsen top scoring for the Kings with 22 points and Bruton and import Ebi Ere on 17 points each.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP