Basketball: Kings spike Breakers' winning streak

KINGS 120 BREAKERS 104

SYDNEY - Sydney's Kings spiked the New Zealand Breakers' Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) winning streak but not before the champions were given a scare at the Sydney Entertainment Centre here tonight.

The ninth-placed Breakers' 104-120 loss dented their fragile chances of making the top eight although they are still in contention if they win their final two matches and other results fall their way.

Table-topping Sydney led just briefly twice during the first half as the Breakers, who were searching for a sixth straight victory, surprised the home crowd with a tenacious display from the tip-off.

But the title holders made their move in the third quarter, outscoring the Breakers 36-23 as captain Matt Nielsen, CJ Bruton and import Chris Carrawell clicked into overdrive, ensuring the Kings carried a 93-80 buffer into the home stretch.

The Breakers cut the margin to six with a 7-0 run but guard Ebi Ere was lethal from outside the arc landing a trio of three-pointers to keep the Kings out of reach as the Breakers' offensive rhythm deserted them.

Beaten by the Kings by 10-points in their two previous encounters the Breakers (12-19) battled throughout despite missing key forwards Pero Cameron through suspension and Australian import Ben Melmeth who is out for the season.

Coach Frank Arsego's plight worsened before tip-off when abrasive forward Dillon Boucher was withdrawn through illness.

However, the under-sized Breakers made a flying start logging four points before the Kings got on the board.

Accurate shooting from Phill Jones, Lindsay Tait and Aaron Olson -- who eventually top-scored with 27 -- propelled the Breakers to a 13-point lead at 29-16 midway through the opening stanza but the Kings rallied to add eight unanswered points to limit the visitor's advantage to 29-24 at the end of the opening 12-minute period.

The Breakers maintained their momentum in the second quarter despite Jones and Mike Chappell getting into foul trouble.

Shooting guard Olson notched 14 first half points while Australian forward Blake Truslove muscled in with 13.

The Kings lead for the first time on the back of two free throws from Nielsen seven minutes before halftime but there was no repeat of the Kings constructing a run as the scores were deadlocked 57-57 at the main break.

Jones hit double figures within three minutes but on the flip side he had three personal fouls early in the second quarter.

Chappell was also in foul trouble in the second quarter but he grabbed six crucial rebounds and four points as Truslove took up the slack offensively.

Nielsen tallied a game-high 32 points while Bruton (23) and Carrawell (21) were the other main contributors.

The Breakers out rebounded the Kings 27-20 in the first half but the Kings eventually edged that facet 49-44.

The Breakers host second-placed Wollongong in their penultimate match in Auckland on Wednesday before wrapping up the regular season at fellow play-off hopefuls the Adelaide 36ers on February 28.

Adelaide (13-17) enhanced their top eight claims with a critical 124-111 overtime win over the Perth Wildcats.

They need to beat the West Sydney Razorbacks away and the Melbourne Tigers at home if they wish to avoid a sudden-death clash against the Breakers if the Breakers defeat the Hawks.

The Wildcats (12-16) are not yet safe despite sitting in sixth and probably need to win three of their final five matches to seal a top-eight place.

The Townsville Crocodiles (10-18) remained in 10th spot after losing 90-95 at home to the Hawks (23-7) and now have plenty of work to do to make the post-season.

Meanwhile, the Melbourne Tigers (18-12) warmed up for the playoffs with an impressive 109-94 home win over the West Sydney Razorbacks (20-9) and the Victoria Giants (10-19) completed a three-game series sweep over the Hunter Pirates (2-27) with a tight 106-103 victory.

Sydney Kings 120 (Matt Neilsen 32, CJ Bruton 21, Chris Carrawell 21) New Zealand Breakers 104 (Aaron Olson 27, Phill Jones 21, Mike Chappell 16, Blake Truslove 15)

Halftime: 57-57

- NZPA