What five road games taught the Breakers

Gordie Herbert is back on the sideline. After illness ruled him out of the trip to Cairns, the New Zealand head coach has recovered in time to lead the Breakers on Friday night, when they host Bryce Cotton and the Adelaide 36ers at Spark Arena.

Sebastian Gleim took charge in Herbert’s absence on Sunday, and the Breakers led until a 12-3 Taipans run to open the fourth quarter swung the game. The Taipans held on to win 86-84, leaving New Zealand at 4-5 on the season.

Friday night is a homecoming in more ways than one. The Breakers have played their last five games on the road, with stops in Perth, Tasmania and Cairns, and Herbert said the return to Auckland was overdue.

“We have only played two games at home, so it is really good to be back in front of our fans,” Herbert said.

“It has been a tough spell, but there were good points to being on the road. We were together a lot, and you learn a lot more about each other on the road than at home. But it is good to be home.

“We are definitely more connected; we know each other better. To a certain extent, for me it is not whether we win or lose, it is a case of are we getting better or not. We have a ways to go. We don’t win anything in October, but we can lose something. More important is where we are week by week heading into December and January.”

Waiting for them is Cotton, who arrives looking to get the 36ers back on the winners’ list. Herbert singled out the matchup between the six-time MVP and the Breakers’ marquee man, Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

“It is a great thing for the fans to see two of the better players in the League,” Herbert said.

“Obviously, Bryce Cotton has done it year after year after year. I am impressed with him and his demeanour on the floor, and Parker is very much the same way.”

New Zealand takes on Adelaide on Friday evening at 5:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.