Basketball: Breakers holding back for semis

Corey Webster. Photo / Getty Images

Abercrombie pans NZ side’s performance but coach not too concerned

There were plenty of positives to emerge from the Breakers' 93-88 Australian NBL loss to Adelaide in Auckland but Tom Abercrombie cut through the noise to find the cold truth.

"If you want to be a championship team," he said following Thursday's five-point defeat, "those are the kind of games you've got to win."

The Breakers could soon have a chance to test that theory. Both sides are heading to the playoffs and, judging on their efforts at Vector Arena, three games between the teams would be a worthy way to decide a championship.

Before the Breakers earn a chance to recapture their crown, though, they must arrest a slide that has seen them drop three of their last four games, with the first chance to do so coming in Perth tomorrow in their penultimate regular season game.

But the back-to-back defeats will hardly trouble Dean Vickerman, considering his team were already safely ensconced inside the competition's top two before both encounters.

They also played pretty damn well against Adelaide, undone only by an irrepressible opposition who have now won eight straight and the bounce of the ball that saw potentially game-changing shots from Aber-crombie and Mika Vukona rim out late in the final quarter.

The Breakers also held a bit back, according to their coach, mindful that what would be a fitting grand final series could instead be in the semis.

"Did we show everything tonight? Nah, there would be some different things we would show if we played them again," Vickerman said. "Most people would consider [Adelaide] the hottest team in the league right now. I was pleased we were able to find a way to get back in it and get a lead. You take real positives out of the fight we showed."

That fight was spearheaded by a career-high 26 points from Corey Webster, almost matching the game-winning effort of 28 from Jamar Wilson.

Cedric Jackson made up for a poor shooting night (4-18 from the floor) with his second triple-double of the season.

But the defence left room for improvement and, after rallying from 12 points back in the final five minutes, the execution down the stretch was far from flawless.

"It's just disappointing because we gave ourselves a good shot at the end and couldn't quite get it done," Abercrombie said.

"We've done a pretty good job the rest of the year of closing out games. [Thursday] didn't go our way but there's still a lot of confidence in this team when we find ourselves in those situations."

Those situations are almost certain to arise in the semifinals, when the Breakers will either paint the latest chapter in their rivalry with the Perth Wildcats or face a rematch against the Adelaide 36ers.