Crocs 79
Breakers 71
If the Breakers are forced to hit the road in next month's grand finals, they will look back and rue last night's loss in Townsville.
An awful lot needs to happen between now and then for that hypothetical to become reality, but there is no doubting the Breakers blew a golden chance to sneak in front in the race for top spot in the Australian NBL.
After fellow pace-setters Cairns were felled by Perth to begin the weekend, the Breakers were unable to take advantage of their foes' slip, falling to the second-last Crocs.
The twin defeats leave the Breakers and Cairns locked on 18-7 with three games to come, but the Kiwi club have a decidedly more difficult run-in. That begins with the visit of in-form Adelaide on Thursday, before clashes with Perth and Cairns to close the campaign.