The Sydney Kings have kick-started a stuttering NBL season with a confidence-boosting 96-83 victory over top-four rival Cairns at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Australian representative Mark Worthington led the way with 27 points as the Kings snapped a poor recent run of form and retained fourth place on the ladder with a 13-8 record.

Martin Cattalini, the league's second highest scorer, played a lone hand with a 32-point haul for a Taipans side that has still never beaten the Kings in Sydney.

Sydney has had unparalleled success since Brian Goorjian took over four seasons ago, but the national coach was in danger of setting some unwanted records with a loss on Wednesday.

Goorjian had never lost three consecutive home games in his 642-game career, a record under some threat after recent defeats to Adelaide in Sydney and Melbourne in a designated home game in Canberra.

But the Kings, who had been given a rare Christmas day off by Goorjian, appeared well aware of the importance of the outcome.

The home side had lost three of its past five games to jeopardise its top four hopes, with Cairns (11-10) one of its main threats.

Goorjian's outfit maintained its intensity throughout, however, to give it a significant lift heading into Saturday's match-up with the Bullets in Brisbane.

The Kings have made a number of personnel changes during the season, leading to some ongoing problems, but there were indications in the opening half the hard work in training was beginning to pay dividends.

Sydney led 23-16 after a solid opening term before cranking up its defence to take a commanding 45-32 lead into the main break.

It was a similar story in the last match between the teams, when the Kings led 59-41 at halftime only to take their foot off the gas and scrape home by just three points.

But there was no repeat this time around, with a 30-22 third term giving Sydney an unassailable 21-point lead at the last change.

Sydney has found it extremely difficult to get points on the board in recent weeks, but Goorjian knew it was a game they simply had to find a way to win.

"There's no doubt we're really struggling to score and it's a really difficult process we've got to go through to get baskets," he said.

"It's hard times right now and we could've sunk into oblivion tonight.

"It was one we needed badly."

Worthington, who hit 9-of-16 field goals and added eight boards, echoed his coach's sentiments.

"There's been a bit of feeling at training which we haven't had the last two weeks," he said.

"There's good players on this team and we don't take losing too well.

"It got to a point where enough was enough."

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