Basketball: Injury-hit Breakers bank on defence

By JULIE ASH

Defence will be the key when an injury-depleted Breakers line up against the Melbourne Tigers at the North Shore Events Centre tomorrow night.

With Tall Black captain Pero Cameron still recovering from a ruptured tendon in his foot and a ruptured medial ligament, Australian giant Ben Melmeth out for six weeks with a thigh injury and Dillon Boucher's availability for the game uncertain after he twisted an ankle in the team's last match, the Breakers horror run of injuries continues.

"We seem to be picking up new injuries every day," said captain Phill Jones.

"But it is just something that happens in basketball ... we just have to put who we have out on the floor and see what happens."

After three matches in the Australian league, the Breakers have a one-win, two-loss record.

They beat the Tigers comfortably in a pre-season game but will need a big improvement in their shooting after a lack of success under the hoop cost them in their last match against the Wollongong Wolves.

"It doesn't just come down to shooting, it comes down to getting prepared to shoot the ball, getting open, getting good looks - which just didn't happen in the game against Wollongong," Jones said. The Tigers, who suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday night going down to the West Sydney Razorbacks, boast an experienced line-up that includes the leading points scorer in NBL history, Andrew Gaze, fellow free scorer Lanard Copeland, legendary point guard Darren McDonald and former Boomer Mark Bradtke, who after 17 seasons in the NBL is widely regarded as the league's most dominant big man.

The match-up between Bradtke and 2.05m Waikato Titans player Iosa Enosa, who has been called in to replace Melmeth, is set to be a beauty.

"We really need to concentrate on shutting down Gaze and Copeland, who are two of their main scorers, and keep Bradtke off the board," Jones said.

The match tips off at 7.10pm.

* TV: Live on Sky Sport 2.