The NZ Breakers showed in game one their winless preseason was nothing to worry about.
Despite a late scare, the new-look Breakers opened their Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) season with a 91-87 win over the Brisbane Bullets at HoopFest at Perth's HBF Arena on Saturday.
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With a roster retaining just two full-time players from last season and under new head coach Petteri Koponen, the Breakers impressed for the first three-and-a-half quarters, before some nervous final minutes.
The Breakers led by as many as 26 points in the third quarter, and still by 23 with 6:19 remaining in the final quarter, but had to sweat it out as the Bullets closed the game on a 31-12 stretch, getting as close as two points with 10 seconds to play.
The Bullets had a horror night up until the last five minutes where they went on an 18-2 run to get within seven and then turned up the heat on the Breakers.
When they forced a steal and Casey Prather scored with 16 seconds remaining, it was suddenly a three-point game but the Breakers did just enough at the free-throw line to win by four.
In the absence of suspended American centre Freddie Gillespie, Kiwi big Sam Mennenga starred with 22 points (9/17 FG) and seven rebounds, with import point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright showing out for 20 points (6/14 FG, 8/10 FT) and 11 assists.
Mojave King added 12 points (5/7 FG, 2/2 3pt) and two steals off the bench, and new import Matt Mooney 10 points (4/10 FG, 2/4 3pt), three assists and three steals.
Brisbane will take heart from the big finish, with new import Keandre Cook having 13 fourth-quarter points and a game-high 25, including five triples. Prather had 11 points and Tall Blacks Tohi Smith-Milner 10 and Tyrell Harrison nine.
The Breakers took charge early, even with Brisbane arriving after a strong preseason, including winning the ANBL Blitz on the Gold Coast.
Not much separated the two teams throughout the first quarter as they shook off the cobwebs, but the Breakers finished on a 9-2 run, including a bucket at the buzzer by Jackson-Cartwright to lead 24-19 after one.
They took full control with an 11-0 run early in the second quarter, which featured a pair of threes from King and another from Mooney, and were on top 51-34 by halftime, shooting a stunning 64 percent from the field and making 8-of-12 from deep.
Another 12 straight points, including six from Mennenga, in the third quarter saw the Breakers' lead blow out to 26.
Breakers coach Petteri Koponen could not fault his team's first 35 minutes and then he held his breath late.
"The first 30 minutes, we were excellent and we had a great game plan that worked, and the guys were focused from the beginning," he told AAP.
"The most important thing from this win is the guys showed themselves that they can win in this league. Now we don't have to be scared anymore in the last quarter, they can handle the business."
It had been a horror start from Brisbane with 10 turnovers to go with being outrebounded and shooting just 46 percent before things did not get any better through the third period.
Bullets coach Justin Schueller did not hold his tongue post-game.
"It was a pathetic performance by us, that's the best word I can describe it with," he told AAP.
"We weren’t at the level for the entire first half and I'm super disappointed because we went through a year of this last year where we left things too late."
The Breakers return to Auckland for their home opener against the South East Melbourne Phoenix next Sunday (tip-off ??), while the Bullets remain on the road to take on the Illawrra Hawks on Friday night.
NZ Breakers 91 (Sam Mennenga 22, Parker Jackson-Cartwright 20, Mojave King 12, Matt Mooney 10) Brisbane Bullets 87 (K Cook 25, Casey Prather 11, Tohi Smith-Milner 10). 1Q: 24-19, HT: 51-34, 3Q: 72-52
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