Basketball: NZ Breakers unimpressive in big loss to Sydney Kings

Jarrad Weeks looks to drive against Sydney's Kyle Adnam. Photo / Photosport

NZ Breakers 78
Sydney Kings 101

In their opening two matches of the season, the NZ Breakers gave the impression they're going to be a frustrating team to follow.

Against the Sydney Kings on Sunday, they did nothing to change that impression.
The Kiwi side fell to a 101-78 loss against the Kings at Auckland's Spark Arena, being outplayed for the full 40 minutes.

It's not just the fans who have reason to be frustrated by their early performances. Coach Kevin Braswell clearly was after the match, saying the way his side played was no where near good enough.

"It's early in the season, I'm okay having a loss, but it's how you lose," Braswell said. "This loss, you could look at us and say they've got a long way to go."

Hopefully returning forward Tai Wesley got plenty of shoulder work in over the off season, as it appears he's going to be carrying the team on the offensive end on a near-nightly basis.

The former Guam international was again impressive around the rim, displaying quality footwork and strength in the post and also flashing his touch from beyond the three point arc. Scoring 22 points on the night, shooting at 50 per cent, Wesley was the only Breakers player who looked likely to cause any damage to a solid Sydney outfit for most of the night. Import centre Shawn Long came to the party late at the offensive end and chipped in with 15 points to add 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

However, it was another tough night on the wings for the Breakers. Corey Webster managed just six points, knocking down just two of his 11 shot attempts (1-5 from deep), while Thomas Abercrombie went missing with just five attempts all game.

Without much production from what has previously been a solid bench, the Breakers were at the mercy of the visitors – led by 2015 NBA Champion centre Andrew Bogut.

Bogut was a force in all facets of the game for the Kings. With 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks, the 33-year-old showed glimpses of why he was the first overall selection in the NBA draft in 2005. With Kevin Lisch (19), Jerome Randle (15), David Wear (15) and Kyle Adnam (10) all contributing in a big way, the Kings offence was just too much for the Breakers to handle.

As a team, the Kings drained 60 per cent of their shot attempts in the game, compared to the Breakers' 36 per cent, including shooting 11-20 from beyond the arc.

The signs were ominous early for the Kiwi side, who found themselves trailing by 11 points just the first 10 minutes. They made a slight comeback in the second quarter to trail at halftime by nine, but it was all Sydney in the second half.

The Breakers were outscored 53-38 in the second half, as last year bottom-placed team wrapped up an impressive win.

NZ Breakers 78 (Tai Wesley 22 points, Shawn Long 15 and 10 rebounds)
Sydney Kings 101 (Kevin Lisch 19 points, Jerome Randle 15, David Wear 15)