Breakers vs Phoenix result: New Zealand Breakers comeback effort falls short in NBL loss to South East Melbourne Phoenix

Will McDowell-White scored 14 points in the Breakers' loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Photo / Photosport

A 33-point night from Parker Jackson-Cartwright and a late comeback effort wasn’t enough to lift the Breakers out of the loss column against South East Melbourne. Christopher Reive reports.

It’s the hope that kills you.

The New Zealand Breakers had no business still being in the fight down the stretch when they visited the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday night. They had been outplayed all game and trailed by 16 after three quarters.

But with about one minute to play, the Breakers trailed by just three points and looked on the verge of pulling off the kind of win you can build a season on.

In the end, the margin was too great as they fell to a 103-100 loss.

It continued the team’s rollercoaster start to the season. With players away during the pre-season and having to put their season on hold to play a couple of NBA crossover games, it was never going to be the ideal lead into the campaign for the Breakers.

But the loss of star import Zylan Cheatham has compounded the team’s issues, which was clear early on in the loss to the Phoenix.

Cheatham suffered a fractured foot in Thursday night’s loss to Adelaide in Auckland early in the fourth quarter and had to be helped from the court. It was later revealed the do-it-all forward would need up to eight weeks to fully recover.

The former New Orleans Pelican has been a major factor for the Breakers this year, particularly with his ability to hold his own as an undersized centre. Cheatham averaged 19 points and about six rebounds in 30 minutes per game, shooting the long ball at a 60 per cent clip. It is expected the club will hit the free agent market in search of an injury replacement given Cheatham will be out for so long, but until that time comes, those 30 minutes have to be redistributed and the Breakers have to work their rotation accordingly.

After Thursday night’s disappointing defeat, coach Mody Maor said the team never recovered from losing Cheatham, and it seemed they still haven’t quite worked out how to fill that void.

The Phoenix got off to a flying start to lead by 10 points at the end of the first quarter and continually extended that lead throughout.

However, the final quarter was a step in the right direction for the Breakers as they fought their way back; defending in a trapping zone - with the length of Tom Abercrombie at the top of that - causing some problems for the Phoenix attack down the stretch. Aggressive play from Will McDowell-White and Finn Delany saw the Breakers start to claw back from the 16-point hole they were in after three quarters, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright continued to score with volume.

While it seemed like the team’s newest addition Anthony Lamb would be the one to pick up the slack in Cheatham’s absence, he struggled with just four points on six shots in 21 minutes of game time.

For the second time in as many games, the Breakers couldn’t contain the opposing bigs. Phoenix centre Alan Williams - who has previously spent time with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA - scored 21 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while forward Mitch Creek scored 20.

In the end, the Breakers fell to their fourth straight loss, with the 1-4 record seeing them anchored to the bottom of the ladder.

NZ Breakers 100 (Parker Jackson-Cartwright 33 points, Finn Delany 21, Will McDowell-White 14)

South East Melbourne Phoenix 103 (Alan Williams 21 points, Mitch Creek 20, Gary Browne 18)

1Q: 21-31. HT: 48-60. 3Q: 68-84.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.