The schedule always looked likely to cause a few concerns, particularly given the Melbourne side started the season with a 5-1 record. But on the back of a less-than-ideal build up, the Breakers pushed the league leaders in a game where, as generic as it sounds, made shots decided things.
Both sides made some huge baskets down the stretch, but it was the three-point shooting from Melbourne that guided them home; one particularly damning basket from Ian Clark unmarked in the corner slamming the door on a Breakers fight-back.
Melbourne finished the game having made 55 per cent of their shot attempts, including 52 per cent of their shots from beyond the arc, while the Breakers made just 43 per cent of theirs.
The Breakers struggled with foul trouble throughout the contest; import guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright fouled out with about three minutes to go in the game on a harsh blocking call, starting centre Mangok Mathiang fouled out in under eight minutes of game time, and Finn Delany also picked up his limit of five fouls.
But they were able to hang with United for much of the game, fighting back in the second quarter to outscore their hosts 30-19 in the period and take a one-point lead into the halftime break.
Import forward Zylan Cheatham was a force throughout the contest, finishing with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists, and remarkably did not pick up a personal foul. Jackson-Cartwright contributed 18 points, five assists and five steals before he was made to leave the game, while Anthony Lamb, in his first NBL game for the Breakers, looked steady with 15 points.
But for all the good the Breakers did to get back into the game and stay in the game, they couldn’t keep it up heading down the home stretch. The scores were tied with less than five minutes to play, but an eight-point Melbourne run broke things open, and they were good enough to go on with the job from there.
For the Breakers, who finished the contest with more rebounds, assists and second-chance points, it sees them fall to 1-2 early in the season ahead of their return home for Thursday night’s clash with the Adelaide 36ers.
NZ Breakers 88 (Zylan Cheatham 30 points, Parker Jackson-Cartwright 18, Anthony Lamb 15)
Melbourne United 97 (Ian Clark 18 points, Chris Goulding, Luke Travers, Shea Ili, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr 16 each)
1Q: 13-23. HT: 43-42. 3Q: 63-64.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
