The New Zealand Breakers have opened their 2022-23 campaign putting the league on notice with another big win, this time toppling the Tasmania JackJumpers 94-62 at Spark Arena.
Ahead of the game, Breakers star combo guard, Izayah Le’afa talked about there being no egos in the team which allows everyone to shine.
That's exactly what they did against a Tasmania team who were coming off a four-game win streak.
It was an equal contest in the opening quarter with both teams getting off to a slow start offensively.
But just like they have been in their recent wins, the Breakers perimeter defence was swarming with imports Barry Brown Jr, Dererk Pardon and Jarrell Brantley leading the fight. Their defence under the rim was just as good with the Breakers fighting for every second chance point.
It may have been a round-robin match, but the intensity was high with players embracing the physicality. This led to a very low-scoring first half with the Breakers only recording 33 points and Tasmania putting up 25 during this period.
Tasmania’s on-ball defence and pressure in the paint prevented the Breakers from finding their flow. But after a few timeouts, New Zealand were back on track.
Some incredible defence by Brown late in the second quarter left Tasmania’s Jack Magette with nowhere to go, pushing him to a corner with Magette stepping out of bounds.
The turnover then led to a Tom Vodanovich shot to put the Breakers up 28-23. Tasmania's Milton Doyle answered with his own two points to put Tasmania within three points.
But another sequence of Brown brilliance put the Breakers back on the front foot to end the half. With 40 seconds left, the ball was back in his hands. He bamboozled Doyle with his handles, cutting through the lane to get the and one. The free-throw was no good but he made up for it by knocking down another shot from beyond the arc.
After a hard-fought first half, the Breakers found their offensive rhythm in the second.
Brown proved to be a spark plug, excelling in his matchup with Doyle and taking him on, on both sides of the floor.
Pardon made a huge impact as he muscled his way through the paint, miraculously getting a shot up in the third quarter after weaving through the Tasmania defence and falling to the ground.
Tasmania tried to fight back with Jack McVeigh leading them in the third quarter.
The Breakers managed to overcome a run of turnovers to stretch the lead. Brown knocked down another three-pointer with three minutes in the third to take them up by nine points. Brantley backed that up with his own shot from beyond the arc and by this point, they were making it rain.
Le’afa and Will McDowell-White began to show up and show out and could not be stopped.
The fourth quarter only emphasising how great this Breakers team is as they closed out the game easily.
Up 72-50 in the fourth, Mody Maor challenged his team to maintain the pressure.
“This is a team that can go on a run. Defend their three-point line,” Maor could be heard saying in the timeout.
It took Tasmania over six minutes to score their first points of the fourth quarter thanks to New Zealand staying explosive and assertive right until the end.
Pardon finished up with a huge 15 points and 14 rebounds while Brown recorded a game-high 24 points, adding three rebounds and two assists.
The Breakers now move up to the top of the ladder. The first time they'll occupy the top spot since round 11 of 2018.
Injured captain Tom Abercrombie is expected to join the team next week.
Arguably their biggest challenge yet, the Breakers will play the number two-ranked Sydney Kings at Spark Arena next Sunday. But if their start to this season is anything to go by, they’ve proven they can match up with the best in the NBL.
SHARE ME