Basketball: Defensive frailties getting us down, says Kirk Penney

Kirk Penney says the Breakers are fine going forward. Photo / Getty Images

With coach Paul Henare warning about the folly of studying the table, Kirk Penney suggested something else the Breakers need to take a good, hard look at - themselves.

Penney and his teammates endured another forgettable night in Adelaide on Saturday, conceding 102 points while slumping to their fifth defeat in six games to slip back to the bottom of the Australian NBL standings.

The defeat again highlighted the Breakers' defensive issues and spoilt the improvements they had shown against Brisbane earlier in the week. It also left Penney, among others, disheartened with the way the players were performing on the defensive end.

"We're a bit frustrated right now with 102 points," Penney said. "I think offensively we're getting what we want for the most part, and those [defensive] breakdowns are incredibly frustrating.

"Obviously losing four out of five, [the frustration] can build a little bit, and you feel like you need to take a good, hard look at yourself. And everyone does."

As Penney intimated, it's quite clear on which area that personal reflection must focus. In the last six games the Breakers have conceded an average of 99 points in their five losses, a hurdle far too high to clear even for their high-powered offence.

The Breakers are averaging 86.0 points in 16 outings, good for third in the competition, but by shipping an average of 88.0 points they also own the second-worst defence.

Even in Thursday's victory over Brisbane, in which the Bullets were restricted to 75 points, the Breakers still suffered through lapses in defensive application. And in Adelaide those lapses arrived after the visitors had controlled the first quarter, creating a level in inconsistency troubling to Henare.

"We had an issue all year long, really, of not being able to sustain consistent play," he said. "In the first quarter I thought we dictated the tempo and got them on the back foot. But they came out and scored 16 points in the first five minutes of the second quarter, and they're such a confidence team."

That quality must be one the Breakers are lacking; earning a solitary win from six games has such an effect. Penney's frustration showed that unfavourable streak must be halted for the sake of the players' psyche.

It's true, the close nature of the league has kept every team in playoff contention. But with just Thursday's clash with the Wildcats to come before a brief Christmas break, the Breakers need to avoid falling further off the pace.