Basketball: Breakers playoff hopes slip further

10.00pm

HAWKS 108 BREAKERS 84

The New Zealand Breakers playoff hopes have taken a dunking after losing their Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) match 84-108 to the Wollongong Hawks in Auckland tonight.

The Breakers needed to win their penultimate match at the North Shore Events Centre - and rely on other results - to enhance their top-eight playoff aspirations, but the second placed Hawks have made the equation even harder.

The Breakers incredibly slim hopes now rely on the seventh placed Adelaide 36ers losing their final two matches, meaning their final game against the Breakers next Saturday could decide the final spot.

Tonight's loss was the Breakers 20th this season and they rarely threatened to overwhelm the visitors who led 52-48 at halftime, and by seven after the third quarter.

That was as close as the home team managed as the Hawks outscored the Breakers 32-15 in the final stanza.

The sight of a Hawks player travelling the length of the court to dunk two-points unopposed in the final five minutes summed up the Breakers defence in the closing stages.

Even the return of key players Dillon Boucher and Pero Cameron for the Breakers final home game failed to stem the points flow, while Ben Knight starred for Wollongong bagging 24 points.

The Breakers have lost to the Hawks twice already this season, 78-108 in round two and 89-93 in round nine.

The Breakers now have one game remaining in Adelaide to improve on their 12 wins this season.

- NZPA