NZ Breakers v Melbourne United result: Breakers’ season set to come down to the wire after loss in Melbourne

The NZ Breakers have two games left of their regular season schedule. Photo / Photosport

NZ Breakers 81

Melbourne United 94

The New Zealand Breakers’ season will come down to the wire.

It always seemed likely to do so after they forced their way back into playoff contention over the Christmas period. On Friday, they beat the Illawarra Hawks to temporarily move to fourth on the ladder.

But they’ve ended the weekend back in uncomfortable territory following a 94-81 loss to Melbourne United on Sunday.

Following the loss to Melbourne - the league leaders- the Breakers have two games left on their regular-season schedule. On Friday night, they host the Brisbane Bullets before shooting across to Adelaide to take on the 36ers on Sunday.

Both of those games now shape up as vital clashes in their season. The Bullets have played one game more than the Breakers, have one more win than them and a win for the Kiwi side in Auckland on Friday could make or break their hopes.

Adelaide sit ninth in the 10-team league, but the 36ers could play spoiler to the Breakers’ chances should they still be alive on Sunday.

Other results can play into the hands of the Breakers. They are one of four teams fighting over the remaining three playoff spots, with Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania all confirmed to be playing in the post-season.

The Breakers and Hawks play twice in the final round of the season, while the Bullets and Sydney Kings will likely need to make their final games of the season count.

Once again, the Breakers were hurt at the free-throw line against Melbourne. The teams’ shooting stats were surprisingly close. The Breakers made 34 of their 71 field goal attempts, while Melbourne made 35 of their 68. The teams made seven and eight three-pointers respectively, but the discrepancy at the charity stripe was noticeable.

Melbourne were sent to the line for 26 free throws, making 16, while the Breakers made just six of their 17 attempts.

The Breakers trailed by as many as 23 points in the game, but a big fourth quarter saw them draw the scoreline back to a more respectable margin. The bulk of their scoring came from four of their five starters, with Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Will McDowell-White, Mangok Mathiang and Zylan Cheatham accounting for 73 of their 81 points. Cheatham also grabbed a third of the Breakers’ 36 rebounds.

The bench combined for just eight points on 3-14 shooting. All 10 of the Melbourne players who took the court for more than a minute got on the scoreboard, with 35 of their points coming from the bench.

NZ Breakers 81 (Parker Jackson-Cartwright 24 points, Will McDowell-White 19)

Melbourne United 94 (Jo Lual-Acuil Jr 19 points, Ian Clark 18)

1Q: 22-27. HT: 39-55. 3Q: 55-78.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.