The Sydney Kings staked their title claims by downing defending champions the Adelaide 36ers 114-99 to snap up its first NBL minor premiership on Wednesday night.

At last, a team which once didn't know how to win is eyeing the grand prize.

Once dubbed the "Violet Crumbles" for their purple uniform and unhappy knack of falling to pieces at the crunch, the Kings provided plenty of food for thought for their rivals.

The Kings not only shored up a semi-final berth, but also clinched home-court advantage for the best-of-three grand final series in April - providing they make it.

No quarter was given in a fiery clash which threatened to explode when Adelaide big man Martin Cattalini earned a technical foul with 4min:15sec left in the third quarter.

Cattalini clashed verbally with Kings guard Kavossy Franklin when a timeout was called, then the Adelaide forward appeared to push Sydney coach Brian Goorjian out of the way, prompting the Sydney bench to clear.

The ugly incident only seemed to inspire Adelaide which reeled in a deficit that at one stage blew out to 20 in the second quarter to just 103-97 with 2:31 left on the clock.

But Kings skipper Shane Heal stood tall, hammering in his ninth three-pointer of the match to seal victory in the final minute.

Heal said he didn't care much for records when he became the Kings' leading scorer in a last-round win over the Cairns Taipans - not that you could tell.

Heal looked hungry to snatch a piece of history for Sydney, slamming in 41 points from 9-17 three-point shooting to inspire victory.

The minor premiership capped off a regular season in which the Kings finished with the league's best road record and as statistically the best defensive and offensive team.

They also becoming the first Sydney outfit to break through the 20-win barrier.

It was the first time the Kings have finished in top spot in their 15 year existence, and the first time a Sydney team has achieved the feat since the Supersonics in 1983.

Besides Heal, Chris Williams had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Brad Sheridan 11 points and seven rebounds.

For Adelaide, Charles Thomas, Brett Maher and Cattalini all had 19 points.

Adelaide got the early jump until Heal picked up the ball and hit 5-7 in three-point shooting to bag 18 first-quarter points and ensure the Kings led 38-23 at the first break.

A 10-point quarter from bench guard Jacob Holmes helped Adelaide bridge the gap to 45-34 and 47-36 before Williams (nine second quarter points) showed why he is NBL MVP favourite by guiding Sydney to a 61-45 halftime buffer.

There was no love lost between the sides with Maher earning a technical foul after arguing with the referee, as did Heal midway through the second for the same offence.

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