In a do-or-die game three, Bruce's Kings earned their way through to the NBL grand final with an intense two-point victory against Melbourne United, 89-87.

The Kings will now face the Perth Wildcats in a best of five grand final series.

Ahead of the deciding game on Thursday, the Kings had to recuperate from a historic 45-point loss in game two - the largest losing margin in the NBL since contests were reduced to 40 minutes per game in 2010.

Bruce credited his side's grit and determination for the way they bounced-back.

"We got our asses kicked on Monday, no doubt," Bruce told the Mail-Times.

"But it was just about leaving that result in Melbourne and focusing all our attention on game three.

"We did that last night. It wasn't pretty. We didn't play our best, but our will to win in the end is what got us over the line, and that's what makes it special."

While Bruce said the Kings enjoyed the victory, their focus quickly shifted to a series the reigning champions Perth, beginning on Sunday night.

"There's definitely no time to get too far ahead of yourself," Bruce said.

"But there's no question that we enjoyed ourselves after the game last night and embraced the win.

"If you move on too quickly after a win like that, there's not much use in doing what you're doing - this is what we play for, and we should enjoy it.

"But we also understand that we have to move onto our next task now.

"Winning a semi-final isn't our be all and end all - winning a grand final is. So that's what we have to prepare for."

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The Kings will be competing in their first grand final series in 12 years.

Bruce said the atmosphere around the club was electric.

"You could feel the energy last night. The city was right behind us," he said.

"You could tell from the crowd that it meant a lot to everyone at the game, and we're going to be doing everything we can to bring a championship back to Sydney."

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