A clutch three-pointer from Jarrell Brantley has helped the New Zealand Breakers upset the ladder-leading Sydney Kings 93-88 and close in on a spot in the NBL playoffs at Qudos Bank Arena.
The largest crowd for any NBL game this season - 14,232 - turned out for a possible finals preview on Sunday but it was the visitors who came up trumps, scoring an important win that brings a four-game losing streak to a halt.
In the 2022/23 campaign, the Kings bounce back from losses by an average winning margin of 17 points but have now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
The Breakers had the Kings' measure in the first half and, while the home side clawed back to take the lead again in a see-sawing final quarter, a Jarrell Brantley three-pointer in the final 15 seconds sealed the result for the visitors.
The Kings' game plan typically relies on controlling the paint and outpacing their opposition but the Breakers found ways to frustrate Sydney on the offensive end, despite struggling to control the reigning champions on transition.
At halftime, no Kings player had registered double figures for points and MVP candidate Xavier Cooks had only one basket from the field from four attempts.
The Breakers shot better from three (seven from 14) than the Kings did from the field (nine from 27) in the first half.
As Barry Brown continues to sit out with a groin injury, Will McDowell-White (20 points, 10 assists, six rebounds) and Brantley (30 points, nine rebounds, five assists) were the Breakers' most prolific scorers and went into the half on triple-double watch with the visitors 14 points up.
Scoring dried up in the third quarter but a Kouat Noi triple followed by a Justin Simon (16 points, four rebounds) steal-and-dunk play had the Kings back within six points and the Breakers called a timeout.
Dejan Vasiljevic hit a three-pointer at a tight angle in the last ten seconds of the third period to reduce the deficit to two points and give Sydney all the momentum heading into the final change.
Cooks (11 points, four assists) showed flashes of his brilliant best in the final quarter, first levelling the scores with a lay-up and then sending a no-look pass to Vasiljevic to give the Kings the lead for the first time since the opening period.
Derrick Walton Jr. tied the scores up for the Kings with a free throw in the final 40 seconds before Brantley's triple.
Tim Soares had a chance to level with his own three but the ball bounced off the rim and the Breakers held on.
