Kings stay right in finals race with win in NZ

The Sydney Kings' tumultuous season remains alive after winning a tense 40-minute arm wrestle against the New Zealand Breakers 81-76 in New Plymouth on Saturday.

After losing to the Breakers in their New Zealand homecoming match in Auckland on Thursday, and then watching the Illawarra Hawks and Brisbane Bullets taste victory on Friday, this became a must-win match for the Kings.

Once again they were met by a determined Breakers outfit determined to extract some pride from their season and the scores were locked together for most of the match. It was going to come down to an individual moment or two and the Kings nearly put their foot in it - literally. 

Leading by two points and with the ball in hands, the Kings had a chance to go close to icing the game with 35.9 seconds remaining. But as Craig Moller set himself for a three-point shot, he put his foot on the sideline in a huge let off for the Breakers. 

Rasmus Bach and Corey Webster had opportunities to win or level the scores but they could not get their shots to connect.

Even when the Kings were ahead by five points with seven seconds remaining, the Breakers were still seeking the miracle as Corey Webster splashed a critical three-point to cut the margin to two points.

Casper Ware missed a free throw to give them the slightest of opportunities, but Shaun Bruce reeled in the offensive rebound and sealed the result.

The difference was Jarell Martin who finished with 29 points and nine boards and was hugely influential in the 25-15 final quarter. Ware had 15 points but struggled with his defence at times and surrendered four turnovers. 

Jordan Hunter continued his consistent season with 14 points and seven boards while Xavier Cooks had nine points and seven rebounds as he improves each game after returning from long-term injury.

Sydney coach Adam Forde praised his charges with sticking to the game plan, lining up individually and sticking to their defensive assignments. But he reserved the bulk of his praise for the Breakers, not just tonight, but all season.

"You have got to give a lot of credit to New Zealand," he said.

"Full credit to (CEO) Matt Walsh for backing his team, and (coach) Dan Shamir has done an outstanding job. You look at coach of the year, Trev (Gleeson) has to be the favourite in the race for what he has done at Perth, but I think you have to respect what Dan has done.

"You can only imagine what they would have been like with a proper home and away season. I don't like throwing out bold predictions, but I can quite comfortably call them a top four team if they had the proper home and away schedule."

It was a huge win, but the job is not done yet, and Forde said it was all in their own hands.
"It is almost like boss levels. These guys are tough, I can't emphasise that enough. We split here, that is the first level," Forde added.

"The next weekend we play Perth in Perth, and then we host Melbourne 48 hours later. In the last round, we play Brisbane and Illawarra, who are in the same position that we are. The best thing is that it's on us, we can't blame anyone else ... win or lose, it is solely on us."

Import Levi Randolph was the Breakers’ best with 25 points and five rebounds while Corey Webster had 13 points and four rebounds. Tai Webster was next best with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but fouling out once again proved costly for his side.

New Zealand coach Dan Shamir paid credit to a Sydney outfit that was "fighting for something, unlike us" but wanted to draw attention to another lop-sided foul count that is a recurring theme for the Breakers.

"I am not talking out of frustration or anything ... but Sydney shot 39 free throws and just 15 times we were on the foul line. When numbers like that jump out at you, you have to look at it. It is very unusual that it is such a big difference," Shamir said.

"It is an individual issue that needs to be looked at but it is also a refereeing issue that needs to be addressed. It has been brought to my attention that we are the No.1 fouling team in the NBL. 

"If you look at the bigger perspective, over the last 7-8 seasons the Breakers are the No.1 fouling team almost every year. Coaches change, styles change, things change but this number stays the same. It is not out of frustration, I want to address it for the benefit of the game, not to just on tonight's game."

It was a bright start from the Breakers with Tai Webster and William McDowell-White continuing where they left off in their last encounter. The Kings were up for the challenge though and set the early pace with Jarell Martin routinely found isolated in the paint.

It was a high octane contest and little could split the two sides at quarter-time with the home side carrying a narrow 24-23 advantage.

A Shaun Bruce unsportsmanlike foul gave New Zealand the fresh air they needed to open up a four point advantage and while the pace and tempo slowed right down, as did the scoring, it suited the home side.

McDowell-White found some razzle dazzle to give the Breakers a 44-38 half-time advantage.

So much was at stake that Ware was benched early in the game by Sydney coach Adam Forde for his defensive efforts. It was all or nothing for the Kings and every player on the court knew it.

They clawed their way back and after four minutes of play in the third quarter they stole back the lead. 

Again, the Breakers surged ahead and there was a period where they threatened to break it open. The Kiwis led by three points and had shot after shot rim out, reeling in offensive rebounds time and time again but failing to find the killer punch.

But when Bruce collected his fourth foul in the dying seconds of the quarter New Zealand did extend their lead and took a 61-56 advantage into the final quarter. 

From here, the Breakers had to hold the Kings at arm's length for another morale boosting win. But the shots just wouldn't drop and the desperate visitors surged at them once more.

Martin came up with the big three-point play in the sixth minute and Corey Webster engineered a huge steal. But it ended up being his brother's doom, Tai Webster called for an offensive foul ending his night.

The New Zealand looks just weren’t dropping leading to a wild final minute as the Breakers kept trying to find a way to secure the win. The Kings were able to hold their nerve and secure a vital victory that could prove the difference at the end of the season.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 19

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 76 (Randolph 25, C Webster 13, T Webster 12)

SYDNEY KINGS 81 (Martin 29, Ware 15, Hunter 14) 

BOX SCORE