Breakers

Deep in the bowels of Spark Arena on Saturday night Breakers coach Mody Maor found a quiet spot and took a moment to himself. Suddenly the emotions came ...

and it was just a matten of time before Rob Loe decided to make a few and break the game open. We had a stretch there with 10 stops in a row, and that usually breaks games open.” “There were a lot of cars with lights on just stuck in water, and we were trying to power through. Equally vital was the home team’s lockdown defence, with Tom Aberombie, who had just two points and was 0-for-4 from the floor, harrying United star Chris Goulding into a 3-of-15 shooting night. “On a day like today, so complicated, it makes basketball feel small for a minute,” reflected Maor. They’ve had a phenomenal second part of the season (they had won five straight before Saturday and eight of their last nine). Deep in the bowels of Spark Arena on Saturday night Breakers coach Mody Maor found a quiet spot and took a moment to himself. They once again got balanced contributions, with five players in double-figures, led by the in-form Jarrell Brantley’s game-high 18 points, a game-changing 15 and 6 boards off the bench by Rob Loe and a poised dozen points from French teen Rayan Rupert. “We arrived at 2.30pm, and got to a restaurant at 7pm,” said Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman of chaotic scenes that greeted them. It’s the No 1 goal, and I’m happy we accomplished it,” Maor told Stuff after a game in which his team improved to 16-10 and sealed the club’s first post-season spot since the 2017-18 season. “You’ve kept asking me for a big part of the season, am I having fun? Regardless Saturday was an emotional victory, played out amid the backdrop of Auckland’s flooding crisis.