The New Zealand Breakers have beaten the Wollongong Hawks 91-74 on the road in Wollongong.
The visitors led by just two points heading into the fourth quarter but finished strongly to post their club-record ninth straight win and extend their lead in the Australian basketball league.
It takes the back-to-back defending champions to 17 wins and three losses for the season.
The Breakers host arch-rivals, the second-placed Perth Wildcats, at Vector Arena on Friday night in Auckland, with Perth 2-0 up in their four-game series.
The second-placed Wildcats kept up the pressure on the Breakers with a 62-59 win over the visiting Townsville Crocodiles last Friday night.
Kevin Lisch top-scored with 17 and Matt Knight grabbed 15 as the Wildcats went to 13 wins and four losses for the season at Perth Arena.
The Wildcats have 11 games left with eight of them at home, while the Breakers have eight games remaining with four of them at home.
