American Parker Jackson-Cartwright has paced NZ Breakers to a 116-87 NBA exhibition defeat against Utah Jazz at Salt Lake City, opening their three-game US road trip.
After starting its season with back-to-back wins, the Auckland club has diverted from its Australian NBL campaign, with fixtures also booked against Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder over the next week.
The Breakers found their three-point range early, leading by six points late in the opening quarter, when Mojave King connected from long range, and still locked at 47-47 midway midway through the second.
A 16-0 run carried the Jazz to a comfortable halftime advantage, but the Breakers cut their deficit back to single figures briefly, before it ballooned back out beyond 30 in the closing minutes.
Jackson-Cartwright led the Breakers with 16 points, nine assists and three steals, showcasing his abilities to the NBA audience. Forward Jonah Bolden finished with 13 points, including three threes, while teenage NBA prospect Karim Lopez had 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block to stuff the stat sheet.
Forward Johnny Juzang led all scorers with 19 points for Utah, shooting 5/6 from the arc, with Finnish star Lauri Markkanen scoring 13 points in 15 minutes.
The Breakers face the Sixers on Tuesday (NZ time).
Utah Jazz 116 (Juzang 19, Markkanen 13, George 12, Collins 12, Sensabaugh 12, Clarkson 11) NZ Breakers 87 (Jackson-Cartwright 16, Bolden 13, Lopez 13, King 11, Mennenga 10, Mooney 10)
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