NZ Breakers 106-101 Wollongong Hawks

Kerron Johnson (Photosport)

Fast Break Report

Stat Line

Points   K. Tiggs 24 (WOL), R. Clarke 23 (WOL), K. Johnson 21 (NZB), D. Gruber 21 (WOL)

Rebounds   M. Vukona 6 (NZB), T. Abercrombie 6 (NZB), several with 5

Assists  T. Coenraad 7 (WOL), C. Webster 5 (NZB), L. Davidson 4 (WOL), G. Wilkinson 4 (NZB)

Steals    C. Webster 3 (NZB), several with 2

Blocks   D. Gruber 3 (WOL), several with 1

What Went Right?

• Scoring 106 points. That oughta win it every time in this league.
• 15/26 3pt shooting. That’s a straight up clinic. KJ, Wilko, Abo, Webster and Te Rangi all hit 3 each.
• Finishing the game off. They’ve had trouble this season in this regard, so it was great to see the Breakers finish strong after the Hawks tied the game up with less than 4 mins on the clock.
• Gary Wilkinson. Ol’ Bear Claws is sprinting up the FBR MVP rankings, even more surprising because he wasn’t even on the roster until Game 6. But the big fella has nestled right back into a comfortable place where he’s absolutely dominating.
• Nobody fouled out.

What Can Be Improved?

• Defence. Although you gotta hand it to Rotnei Clarke, who had a great game, and did so with a number of other heavy contributors on the Wollongong side.
• Get Alex Pledger back. He was doubtful for this one, and ultimately sat it out. He’s got another week to recover now.
• The rebounding and turnovers still have room for improvement, but they’re getting there. Not a lot else to worry about, to be honest, just gotta hope they can keep this level of performance up for the final 10 games and maybe sneak into the playoffs…

Play of the Game

A beautifully executed offensive possession (after a missed field goal) culminates in a wide open 3 pointer for Kerron Johnson, who sinks the dagger blow late on:

Match MVP Points

Gary Wilkinson 3

Tom Abercrombie 2

Kerron Johnson 1

Corey Webster 1

Mika Vukona 1

Season MVP Standings

Mika Vukona 27

Kerron Johnson 23

Gary Wilkinson 22

Tom Abercrombie 19

Alex Pledger 10

Up Next

Thursday, 7.30pm: NZ Breakers vs Sydney Kings, Vector Arena (NZT)

NZ Breakers 62-71 Perth Wildcats

Fast Break Report

Stat Line

Points   J.Ennis 16 (PER), M.Vukona 16 (NZB), 2 with 15

Rebounds   M.Knight 9 (PER), A.Pledger 9 (NZB), 2 with 7

Assists  J.Beal 6 (PER), K.Johnson 4 (NZB), C.Webster 3 (NZB)

Steals    K.Johnson 3 (NZB), D.Martin 2 (PER), G.Hire 2 (PER)

Blocks   T.Jervis 3 (PER), J.Ennis 2 (PER), 2 with 1

How It Unfolded

It’s pretty hard to see anyone beating Perth to the title this season. The past few years have been defined by the Breakers vs Wildcats rivalry, but for now there’s no competition. Perth made it 3 from 3 over NZB with a convincing win, much more so than the nail-biter in Perth last week, improving to 12-1 and dropping the kiwi team to 4-9, with the playoffs just a pipe dream for the moment.

The writing was on the wall early as the Breakers had probably their worst offensive quarter of the season to open up this game. They missed their first 6 three-pointers, struggling to assert themselves in the paint, often settling for tough jump shots or contested layups. And against a team as good as Perth, you just cannot give them that kind of leg-up. NZB didn’t get their second field goal until 1:40 to go in the opening quarter. Perth defended very well, and took their chances at the other end, opening up an early lead. The gulf in class was obvious from the start, and though the Breakers showed some much welcome fight in the second half, taking big bites out of that lead, it was too much to hold off the onslaught of James Ennis and company. Ennis’ buzzer beater to end the first half must have sent Breakers fans into melancholic fits of déjà vu. Perth had contributions from all over. Ennis had 16 pts and 5 reb, but it was Matty Knight, surprisingly, who stole the plaudits, with 15 and 9. Add in the sharpshooting of Damien Martin, Shawn Redhage and Jermaine Beal (who had an off day), and a whole lot of rebounding off the bench, and this team is as good as the Breakers have been for the past three years. At least.

For the home team, Kerron Johnson (14 pts, 4 ass, 5 reb, 2 stl) was a spark plug, and Tom Abercrombie (15 pts, 6 reb) shot well. Mika Vukona (16 pts, 7 reb) was typically efficient too. This was not a game which they were expected to win, but after a tough and winless road trip, it does sting. The Breakers defence really does need to be applauded for how well they limited Perth – keeping them to a season low of 71 overall is something to be proud of – but their own offensive troubles are worrying. Their third loss in a row drops the Breakers to last on the table. It’s time to get moving. Next up is the All Star game this weekend.

Stocks Up

Kerron Johnson. When he really asserts himself in a game, you see why he’s so highly rated. Yet Johnson has a tendency to let others step up around him. His passing game is good enough to facilitate this, though given his athleticism and dynamic ability, Breakers fans would much prefer those spin moves around the basket. Just gotta pick and choose better. Commentator Casey Frank made a valid point in the gamecast that Johnson doesn’t react well to what defences give him, making his mind up early how a play is going to go, and following it through regardless. Despite this, it was a strong effort here against Perth, never letting up and really trying to rise to the occasion. More of this, please Kerron.

Stocks Down

CJ Bruton. It’s telling that against the best team in the league, the Breakers former closer only gets 7 minutes. Plus he’s 0-9 in the past three games from 3 pt range. 3-22 of you wanna stretch that back even further.

Play of the Game

Kerron Johnson goes loop-de-loop with his movement around the court, and ties the bow with a sweet left handed layup:

Match MVP Points

Kerron Johnson 3

Mika Vukona 2

Tom Abercrombie 1

Season MVP Standings

Mika Vukona 21

Kerron Johnson 16

Tom Abercrombie 12 

Up Next

Sunday 29th December, 4pm: Sydney Kings vs NZ Breakers, Sydney Entertainment Centre (NZT)