NBL grand final: New Zealand Breakers on the ropes after defeat to Sydney Kings in game three

Tim Soares (centre) celebrates the Kings' resounding victory. Photo / Getty

Kings 91

Breakers 68

It’s now or never for the New Zealand Breakers.

A 91-68 loss to the Sydney Kings in game three of their best-of-five NBL grand final in Sydney on Friday night has the Kings on title point as they take a 2-1 lead in the series.

When the sides return to Auckland to meet at Spark Arena on Sunday, the Breakers will be fighting to keep their chances of securing another championship banner alive.

For the first time in six meetings between the sides this season, the home team were able to come away with the win, with a huge third quarter turning the game in favour of the Kings after a first half that left the game hanging in the balance.

Foul trouble was an issue for the Breakers, with Jarrell Brantley, Rob Loe and Tom Abercrombie all picking up four fouls before the end of the third quarter; Brantley fouling out with more than nine minutes left in the game.

The Breakers also struggled to put points on the board in the second half, either through shots not dropping or some poor offensive execution, and allowed the Kings to pick up too many easy buckets at the other end.

As the game went on, Kings starts Derrick Walton Jr and Xavier Cooks took over, after some important offerings from Justin Simon in the first half.

Both Walton Jr and Cooks were extremely limited in the Kings’ game-two win last Sunday, but showed no signs of being slowed down by their injuries this time around. Cooks, who signed a two-year deal with the NBA’s Washington Wizards this week, was particularly impressive.

The Breakers started well. They got the scoreboard ticking over immediately when play got underway, and the sides traded blows in the early exchanges.

Both teams came out of the blocks shooting at a high percentage, but the Breakers were making the most of forcing some Kings turnovers.

Breakers head coach Mody Maor was frustrated with Tom Abercrombie and his foul issues throughout the match. Photo / Photosport

Barry Brown Jr and Brantley led the way for the Breakers in the first half, both scoring 10 points as the side held a four-point lead at halftime.

But the Kings had shown ominous signs – out-rebounding the Breakers in the half and scoring on around 50 per cent of their shot attempts. Where they were being let down was ball security, as they conceded 12 turnovers to the Breakers’ six.

That all changed after the break. They started the quarter strong, building a nine-point lead within the first two minutes of play resuming, but things turned sour very quickly for the visitors.

By the halfway point of the third quarter, the Kings had taken the lead. From there, the Walton Jr and Cooks-led Kings took the game by the throat.

Walton Jr ran the show superbly, chalking up nine assists as the Kings broke down the Breakers defence, which in turn put pressure on the Breakers’ offence to match that of the Kings; something they could not do.

The Breakers only managed to score 12 points in the third quarter, and nine in the fourth, as they ultimately fell to a 23-point loss.

Sydney Kings 91 (Dejan Vasiljevic 15, Tim Soares 14, Derrick Walton Jr 12)

NZ Breakers 68 (Will McDowell-White 11, Jarrell Brantley 10, Barry Brown Jr 10)

1Q: 22-24. HT: 43-47. 3Q: 67-59.

Here’s how the game unfolded: