NZ Breakers can take aim at a fifth Australian NBL crown, after booking a best-of-five finals showdown against defending champions Sydney Kings.
American Barry Brown Jr has come off the bench for a game-high 32 points to lead the Auckland-based club back to the finals series, seven years after losing to Perth Wildcats at the final hurdle.
The Breakers won three consecutive titles from 2011-13 and another in 2015, but have more recently fallen on lean times under new ownership and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, based across the Tasman, they won just five games and finished at the foot of the competition ladder. What a difference 12 months make.
NZ Breakers 92 (Brown Jr 32, Pardon 15, Brantley 14, Loe 11, Lea’afa 10) Tasmania JackJumpers 77 (McVeigh 22, Kelly 16, MacDonald 14, Doyle 12)
More to come
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