The New Zealand Breakers have taken a 1-0 lead in the five-game Australian NBL finals series after beating the Sydney Kings 95-87 at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night.
A lead of 54-43 at half-time carried through to the final buzzer as the Breakers dominated the court to beat their opponents on their home turf.
Took care of business!! See you Sunday 💙
— Sky Sport New Zealand Breakers (@NZBreakers) March 3, 2023
Will McDowell-White with 19pts, 9reb, 9ast & 0 TO 🔥 #UNBREAKABLE pic.twitter.com/FOx45GwU8O
While the result was a huge upset for the hosting Kings, it came as little surprise to the Breakers who went 11-3 in away matches throughout the regular season.
Will McDowell-White led the way for the Breakers with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to give the Breakers a healthy advantage as they take the series back home to New Zealand for Game 2 on Sunday night.
Barry Brown Jr added 19 points of his own while Jarrell Brantley made 16 points and seven rebounds in the opening match.
WMW to Brantley connection 🤞 pic.twitter.com/JfvzeWQq2e
— Sky Sport New Zealand Breakers (@NZBreakers) March 3, 2023
While their offensive display far exceeded that of their 87-point rivals, it was the Breakers’ defence that sealed the win on Friday night.
League MVP and Kings forward Xavier Cooks was held to just eight points throughout the match as the defending champion Kings struggled to break through the Breakers’ defence.
A field goal percentage of just 44 per cent was all the Kings could muster, shooting 7/22 from three-point range.
While Sydney was down 54-43 at half-time, a resurgence in the third quarter reduced the deficit to just six at the final break (76-70), leaving all options on the table in the final quarter.
However, their comeback proved to be too little, too late as the Breakers turned up the heat to come away with an eight-point win.
With a 1-0 lead in the series, the Breakers will head back to New Zealand with plenty of confidence as they host the Kings for Game 2 on Sunday at Spark Arena, Auckland.