19 Feb 2018

Another loss for Breakers ahead of playoffs

5:46 am on 19 February 2018

The New Zealand Breakers will be hoping to be at full strength for the NBL play-offs after ending the regular season with their fourth straight loss.

Breakers Finn Delany.

Breakers Finn Delany. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2018 www.photosport.nz

The Breakers went down 101-86 at the Sydney Kings.

The Breakers led for most of the game before the Kings tied it up at 68-all at three-quarter time.

Cadee then took over, giving his team its first lead of the night with a crowd- pleasing three-point bomb and following with two more long-range daggers from which the undermanned visitors never really recovered.

He hit five threes in the period, pouring in a game-high 30 points, while Todd Blanchfield and Jerome Randle combined for 37 of Sydney's points.

Missing from the Breakers were key players Edgar Sosa, Kirk Penney and Alex Pledger. Coach Paul Henare hopes the experienced trio will return for game one of the best of three semi-final series.

New Zealand's season-ending loss left them with a 15-13 record heading into next week's best of three semi-final series.

They took a 17-14 lead into the second quarter, stretching the margin to 10 before the Kings fought back to trail by a point.

Unheralded Breakers guard Jordan Ngatai put his team back on the front foot with nine quick points and the visitors took a 48-42 lead into half-time.

Led by Blanchfield's hot shooting, the Kings continued to chip away, drawing level at 68-all at three-quarter time.

Sydney dominated the final period, sending the Breakers to their second loss of the weekend.

- AAP