Breakers

Breakers fall to Tasmania in second NBL semifinal which brings series to a decider at Auckland's Spark Arena on Sunday.

Their Hobart hoodoo continues. However, the writing was on the wall for the visitors, and a technical foul late in the game on Brantley for arguing with the officials seemed an appropriate way for the Breakers to finish at a venue they dislike intensely. Last Sunday the Breakers drew first blood in the series with an 88-68 victory based on defensive pressure and an all-round attacking game, but tonight it was the JackJumpers who brought the intensity, edging away after a tight first three quarters to close it out in dominant fashion in the fourth.

NZ Breakers face an ANBL semi-final series-deciding game at home, after falling 89-78 to Tasmania JackJumpers at Hobart. Chasing victory for a place in the ...

Tasmania JackJumpers have forced a decisive third game in their NBL semi-final series against New Zealand Breakers thanks...

"The JackJumpers responded and played great. "This group is quite relentless in their approach. The JackJumpers surged home in the second half of Thursday night's clash to bounce back from a 20-point drubbing in the opening game of the best-of-three series and keep their bid for back-to-back grand final appearances alive.

Tasmania JackJumpers have forced a decisive third game in their NBL semi-final series against New Zealand Breakers thanks to an emphatic 89-78 victory in game ...

Early scores from Brantley and Dererk Pardon saw New Zealand grab the momentum in the third quarter but, after building a 60-55 buffer with two minutes to play in the period, the visitors unravelled with Doyle triggering a 9-0 run to see the home side take a four-point edge into the final term. Both teams started to execute on offence in the second period as Barry Brown Jr and Jarrell Brantley combined to put the Breakers ahead on the scoreboard but the JackJumpers responded with five three-pointers for the quarter, including a dramatic long bomb from Weeks on the siren. The visitors appeared to be on the verge of reaching their first grand final since 2016 after edging ahead by five points nearing the end of the third quarter but Milton Doyle engineered a run of 11 straight points as the JackJumpers stole the momentum with a dominant final term.

Tasmania JackJumpers have forced a decisive third game in their NBL semi-final series against New Zealand Breakers thanks...

"The JackJumpers responded and played great. "This group is quite relentless in their approach. The JackJumpers surged home in the second half of Thursday night's clash to bounce back from a 20-point drubbing in the opening game of the best-of-three series and keep their bid for back-to-back grand final appearances alive.

The Breakers have missed the chance to secure an ANBL grand finals berth, dropping game two of the semi-final series against the Tasmania Jackjumpers.

"Sometimes that takes you to a place that's not necessarily a positive one. "Some of it came from just missing some good open threes and we'll play better next time. "Other than that, there's more fire in us.

At MyState Bank Arena: Tasmania JackJumpers 89 (Milton Doyle 23. Jack McVeigh 16, Matt Kenyon 11), NZ Breakers 78 (Barry Brown Jr 19, Jarrell Brantley 17, ...

There is a lot to think about for the Breakers as they return to Auckland for a decider that will be played at their intimidating home venue, in front of their vocal crowd. The undermanned Tasmanians, missing star point guard Josh Magette to a facial injury, out-Breakered the Breakers as they muscled up on D, took their opponents out of their rhythm and rode home on the back of a superstar offensive display from shooting guard Milton Doyle in front of a packed, loud and intense home crowd. Top of that list should be a reassurance that the JackJumpers will be turning up with their belief factor burning bright. All-NBL first-teamer Doyle was superb for the JJs, racking up a game-high 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting (including three from deep), to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists and a trio of steals. It should have the Breakers decidedly on edge as they return for Sunday’s decider at Spark. It’s hard to see that view changing much on the back of another sub-par effort there.

After a flat display in Hobart, the Kiwi NBL club returns to Spark for a semifinal decider on Sunday with a bit to think about.

The JackJumpers responded and played great, we didn’t defend to the level we defend and our offence was a little bit stagnant," said the Breakers coach. “We missed some open shots and we turned the ball over a little too much for our liking. That is not the kind of history they’re chasing. It’s definitely something we want to clean up, and adjust, getting ready for the next one. They have now lost 11 of their last 12 there, and five on the bounce to the Jackies, at a place coach Mody Maor admitted he “does not like”. It would be a shame if this remarkable turnaround season from the Breakers should meet such an inglorious finish. And partly about who wants it most. The Kiwi club had the chance to seal a first grand final appearance since 2016, but got a bad case of the staggers down the stretch of an otherwise tight encounter that featured a dozen lead changes and was locked 42-42 at the halfway point. "Sometimes that takes you to a place that's not necessarily a positive one. That view is unlikely to change after a strangely flat performance from him and his players. But I have so much faith and trust in this group. “Other than that, there's more fire in us,” he added.

NZ Breakers 78 Tasmania Jackjumpers 89 If the New Zealand Breakers are to secure their place in the NBL grand final, they will have to do it on their own c.

With Tasmania scoring the first points of the fourth quarter as well, the New Zealand side saw their five-point lead turn into a six-point deficit within three minutes. The Breakers were successful on just five of their 16 attempts in the first quarter, while Tasmania drained eight of 22. It was a different story in the second quarter for both sides. The third quarter followed a similar pattern. But just when it looked like they would take some momentum into the break with a three-point lead, a deep buzzer-beater from former Breaker Jarrad Weeks levelled the score at half-time. Nursing an injury to his left hand, the NBL’s sixth man of the year was limited in game one and put up just four shots.

Tasmania JackJumpers have forced a decisive third game in their NBL semi-final series against New Zealand Breakers thanks...

"The JackJumpers responded and played great. "This group is quite relentless in their approach. The JackJumpers surged home in the second half of Thursday night's clash to bounce back from a 20-point drubbing in the opening game of the best-of-three series and keep their bid for back-to-back grand final appearances alive.