KEY POINTS:
After two minutes of last night's basketball match against the defending champions it looked as though the Breakers' only chance of avoiding defeat would be a power cut.
Then again, so slick did the Brisbane Bullets' offence look that it seemed as though they'd rip the NZ team to shreds in the dark anyway.
By the five-minute mark, the Bullets were up by nine and surely coasting to their seventh victory in nine NBL outings this season.
For the Breakers, the words "losing" and "streak" seemed certain to rear their ugly heads, not for the first time this season.
But an astonishing 40-point second quarter by the Breakers put paid to all that at the North Shore Events Centre.
In the end, it was the Breakers' game to lose after they raced to a 19-point lead shortly after the halftime break. And lose it they very nearly did before coming out on top of a frantic final three minutes thanks to another nerveless display of free-throw shooting from Phill Jones.
CJ Bruton, captain of the Australian national team the Boomers, sparked a revival and put the Bullets back in front with a three-pointer with 3.25s on the clock.
Just when the Breakers seemed to have wrested the advantage back with a pair of threes to Jones and another from Kirk Penney, Bruton struck again from long range to tie it up.
Jones then grabbed a precious rebound and shot both free throws but the Bullets hit straight back with a three from Brad Williamson. Once again Jones stepped up to the mark to nail two more frees.
Still the Bullets wouldn't go away and in the end it was a solitary free throw from Mika Vukona that put the Breakers in front for good.
Brisbane's Kiwi duo of Dillon Boucher and Craig Bradshaw started the game from the bench but it was their introduction that proved the turning point as the Breakers lifted their physical intensity.
Bruton and Ronaldson came close to scrapping it out on the floor as the game threatened to boil over.
Inspired by the fired-up Rick Rickert, the Breakers slowly gained the upper hand.
Led by Ebi Ere's 19 first-half points, Brisbane looked every bit the defending champions on offence.
Their defence, however, looked anything but championship quality as they leaked 68 first-half points.
A blistering start to the second half saw the Breakers stretch their lead to 19 but the Bullets rallied to force the furious finish.
