Basketball: A right pasting for Breakers

Adelaide crushed the New Zealand Breakers with a 20-2 final-quarter run taking the Sixers to a 104-78 win and march to the top of the Australian NBL ladder.

Breakers coach Frank Arsego was furious with his players after they fought back to be within three points early in the last quarter, only to fall asleep and allow the Sixers to put on a show for their home-town fans.

Arsego pointed to his team's inexperience and lack of discipline as the reason for their final-quarter capitulation.

"It's about application, it's about discipline to the task," he said.

Arsego appeared under no illusions about what his team need to work on to become a stronger force.

"At this level the teams that make the good decisions on the night are the ones that are getting over the line." That poor decision making led to the Breakers turning the ball over 19 times to Adelaide's six.

But it was the Kiwis' shot selection that destroyed them. They hit just seven of 33 shots from beyond the three-point arc.

Adelaide captain Brett Maher put in his usual workmanlike performance for 23 points, and import Willie Farley recovered from a scoreless first quarter to top-score with 26.

Adelaide now sit on top of the NBL ladder. The Breakers head back to New Zealand to take on West Sydney on Friday.

The Cairns Taipans continued their giant-killing form at home by accounting for previous leaders Wollongong Hawks 98-87.

Taipan Anthony Stewart top-scored for his team with 22 points while Nathan Crosswell (20) and Aaron Grabau (18) were also strong contributors.

A vintage final quarter from veteran Andrew Gaze handed Melbourne a 105-97 victory over West Sydney to help the Tigers avoid an unwanted NBL grand slam.

With the game tied at 80-80 with just over seven-and-a-half minutes to go, Gaze took control, scoring 13 of the Tigers' next 15 points in just over three minutes as they bolted to a 95-84 lead.

Gaze finished with a game-high 32 points, 15 of them in the last quarter.

He hit 10 of 14 field goals including four out of seven three-point attempts.

It was the Tigers' first away win in four starts.

Tigers centre Mark Bradtke finished with 15 points and enjoyed a good battle with the Razorbacks' new American big man, Nick Horvath, who top-scored for West Sydney with 19 points.

- NZPA