KEY POINTS:
The Breakers received some good news yesterday that CJ Bruton's ankle injury isn't as severe as first feared.
The star point guard will be sidelined for at least three weeks with a tear to the lateral ligament of his left ankle, an injury suffered in Saturday night's resounding victory over the Wildcats in Perth.
He will miss the January 2 and 3 road trip against the Hawks and Spirit and most likely the showdown with league leaders South Dragons in Melbourne on January 10.
But if treatment progresses as expected, he should be back in the lineup for the Breakers' next home game, a January 15 encounter with the Crocodiles.
A rare press conference called by the club yesterday suggested the news may be much worse and the sight of a heavily strapped Bruton hobbling around on crutches underlined that impression.
But an upbeat Bruton was quick to dispel fears he faced a lengthy layoff.
"It's a lot better than what we expected," Bruton said.
"I actually injured both ankles in the same game. It was unfortunate but we got the win so I have no complaints."
Bruton was sidelined for much of the second half against the Wildcats but he said he was not at all surprised by the team storming to a come-from-behind victory without him.
He will spend the next 10 days on crutches and has had to cancel a trip back to Australia to visit his family to concentrate on his rehabilitation.
"My body gets a rest but I'd like to be out there playing with the boys. I didn't come here to rest, I came here to win a championship. We are close to our goal but it is not done yet."
Paul Henare will assume the starting point guard role in Bruton's absence, with Phill Jones likely to serve as his primary back-up.
Saturday's win took the club's road record to 7-1 and their overall to 15-4.
They remain a win behind the Dragons but have a four-game break on the third-placed Melbourne Tigers.
With the top two teams from the regular season earning a bye for the first round of the playoffs and home advantage for two of the three games in the semifinal series, the club is targeting at least a second-placed finish.
