The New Zealand Breakers are just one win away from a second-place finish in the NBL and an automatic semi-final berth after overcoming a 16-point deficit to defeat the last-placed Illawarra Hawks 91-81.
The Breakers are now second on the standings on points percentage after winning their 17th game of the season to share a 17-10 record with Cairns.
Barry Brown Jr ensured their enormous comeback was not in vain, as the frontrunner for sixth man of the year guided his side home in the clutch with Illawarra pushing the result down to the final possessions.
He would finish with 22 points off the bench and plus 22 on the box score after being minus 22 in the opening half.
Jarrell Brantley spurred the visitors' third-quarter surge and finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from behind the arc to go with six rebounds and three assists.
New Zealand are now a league best 10-3 on the road with one game remaining against Brisbane away to seal a top-two finish, just one year after finishing last in the NBL.
But things didn't come easily for the streaking Breakers as Tyler Harvey (22 points) kept Illawarra in the contest late, trailing by just one with three minutes to play.
At 76-75, Breakers coach Mody Maor was forced into a timeout and Brown Jr took the reigns for New Zealand push ahead and hold on by 10.
Illawarra were outscored 57-31 in the second half after the Breakers outscored them 29-9 in the third term.
Brantely starred with a corner three to begin the quarter before hitting three more as the deficit was narrowed to just one.
The Breakers then took the lead when Brown Jr hit two of two from the stripe as they took a 63-59 buffer into the final term.
It came off the back of the Breakers' lowest scoring second quarter of the season (13 points) to trail 50-34 at the main break.
With the loss and one game remaining, Illawarra (3-23) are now destined for their worst season on record after finishing 5-23 in 2020.
