Adelaide's march towards the NBL's post-season has continued with a 16-point thrashing of New Zealand that officially ended the Breakers' play-off hopes.
The 36ers were never troubled in a 94-78 victory at a sold-out Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Sunday.
Star import Montrezl Harrell had 26 points, eight rebounds and four blocks and enjoyed a crowd-led rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to celebrate his 31st milestone.
An early confrontation with Breakers forward Jonah Bolden ensured there was no complacency on a weekend when last-placed Cairns upset contenders Illawarra and Perth.
The result means the Breakers (9-18) are unable to make the top six.
Adelaide have won six games in eight and are now outright sixth (13-13), a win clear of seventh with three regular-season games left.
"This team's in a completely different space," coach Mike Wells said of their defining eight-game stretch.
"Our attention to detail ... is night and day different.
"Offence comes and goes ... we were tired but we were connected and we dug in (defensively)."
New Zealand arrived without star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright (ribs) and struggled to penetrate in attack, incredibly scoring exclusively from beyond the arc in the first quarter.
After the Breakers missed four free-throws and five two-point attempts in a 27-15 first term, the lead swelled to 28 before they rallied in the final quarter.
The combustible Harrell was in everything, retaliating after being bumped to the floor by Bolden, then nursing a cut above the eye when the pair clashed again at the rim entering half time.
MVP candidate Kendric Davis (23 points, 13 assists) had his fingerprints all over the contest while fellow starters Lat Mayen (10 points on four-of-four shooting), Isaac Humphries (12 points) and Dejan Vasiljevic (11 points, four assists) had their moments.
Breakers guard Matt Mooney scored 19 points and had nine assists, but turned the ball over eight times before he fouled out in the final quarter.
Mojave King made five-of-eight triples for 20 points to lead the Breakers' scoring.
"It's been an up and down season for us; some (personnel) changes, we had to adjust ... but we are always there competing," the Breakers' first-year coach Petteri Koponen said.
"Everyone wants to win in this league, but are we ready to do those little things?
"A challenging first year; a lot of good and bad moments."
