Breakers clear out at the top of the NBL with nine in a row

The SKYCITY Breakers made it nine from nine in the Hungry Jacks NBL with a performance that was workmanlike early, but all class down the stretch as they turned a 9-point deficit into an 8-point victory over the Brisbane Bullets.

In front of just under 6,000 home fans, the Breakers were slow to find their rhythm with the Bullets disrupting their offence, restricting the home team to 35 points in the first half, albeit that was enough to give the Breakers a one-point lead at the main break as both sides made offence a difficult art on the night.

For the home side that was in part due to the absence of Kirk Penney with a tight back, the sharpshooter was rested as a precaution, knowing the international window this week would give Penney even more time to be right for the next round.

In Penneys absence, Edgar Sosa and DJ Newbill stepped up to carry the offensive workload, with 24 and 19 points respectively, while Shea Ili enhanced his reputation as a closer, with big second half points that included layups, deep threes and charity stripe accuracy, ending with 16 points (14 in the final quarter) and 7 assists before he heads away with the Tall Blacks this week.

Head Coach Paul Henare described what was a slow burn for his team.

"The belief in the group was good, it felt like we were stuck in third gear through much of the first half. We spoke at halftime about our energy levels and our defence, and while that didnt work initially, there was a shift at some stage when we got some stops and made some baskets at the other end and that changed the momentum."

Bullets Head Coach Andrej Lemanis found plenty of positives in a return to the club he coached to multiple championships.

"There was a lot of good stuff, a lot of energy and spirit, with two guys out of our rotation and guys had to carry an extra load, and for the most part we did a good job. But credit the Breakers they are a good team and found a way to win."

Rob Loe was another to make some big buckets at crucial moments, the centre went 3 of 6 from deep and added 5 boards, while Tom Abercrombie posted an identical stat line to Loe of 9 points and 5 boards as the Breakers again spread the load at both ends of the floor.

By contrast, the Bullets had just six players on the scoreboard, with the Breakers bench unit outscoring the visitors by a massive 32 to 7.

The win leaves the Breakers on top of the NBL ladder with a 9 and 1 record, going into the international window, with eight of the roster now heading to Wellington, along with Head Coach Henare and Assistant Coach Mike Fitchett, to prepare for the FIBA World Cup Qualifier against South Korea at TSB Arena on Thursday night, and then an away game in Hong Kong on November 26.

SKYCITY Breakers 90 (Sosa 24, Newbill 19, Ili 16)

Brisbane Bullets 82 (Trice 18, Buford 17, Jervis 16)

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand