Sydney Kings 103 NZ Breakers 94
KEY POINTS:
A tantalising first win in two years against the powerhouse Sydney Kings slipped through the New Zealand Breakers' grasp in an overtime thriller across the Tasman last night.
Before a roaring Sydney Entertainment Centre crowd of 4000, the competition leaders survived a decent fright before drawing clear to win 103-94.
It was a cruel end for the previously sixth-placed Breakers who led by nine at halftime and eyeballed an upset at 87-87 with the final possession of normal time.
But veteran Australian forward Tony Ronaldson's desperate attempt with eight seconds left narrowly failed to drop, sending the match to overtime.
The Kings, with 16 wins and two losses going into last night's match, showed cooler heads in the five-minute extra period with back-to-back three-pointers giving them a buffer they never surrendered.
It was the Breakers' ninth loss from 19 matches and left them poised on the edge of the top eight, with four of their next five matches also on the road.
Ronaldson had a fine all-round game for the Breakers, top-scoring with 20 points and adding five assists, while Kirk Penney added 18 points and Phill Jones 16, including five of nine three-point attempts.
For the winners, Jason Smith led the way with 23 points, including some key late baskets, while centre Ian Crosswhite scored 20.
The Kings shot a massive 37 points from the freethrow line, from 51 attempts.
It was an imposing ask for the Breakers, who'd beaten the Kings only twice in 13 attempts since gaining entry to the league in 2003.
The Kings, coming off a 13-day break, had won their last four in a row but rolled out the welcome mat for the Breakers in the first half. The hosts shot just 29 per cent from the field in the opening quarter and a marginally better 33 per cent in the second, as the busy Breakers kept them in check.
It was level 21-21 at quartertime before the Breakers seized their chance to build a lead with a flurry of three-pointers sparked by Jones and Penney. The lead was 11 points before the hosts narrowed it to 47-38 at the main break.
- NZPA
