KEY POINTS:
Three games in the next seven days could play a large part in determining the New Zealand Breakers' fate for the Australian National Basketball League playoffs.
The Breakers are second on the ANBL table with 16 wins from 23 games, just behind the South Dragons and in front of the Melbourne Tigers.
They face a home-and-away double header against the Tigers tonight at the North Shore Events Centre and Saturday, and then play the Dragons at home the following week.
If they lose both games to Melbourne they will fall behind the Tigers to third place, outside the first two for the first time this season.
Melbourne also face a match against the Dragons on Monday.
The Breakers will have everything to play for because a top-two finish in the 30-game regular season is a huge advantage. Top-two teams do not have to play the first week of the playoffs, which pits teams who finish third to sixth in one sudden death match.
The top two teams enter the playoffs in the second week for the semifinals, best-of-three encounters, of which the first and third (if required) are played at the home court of the top two team.
The Breakers have won both their previous encounters with the Tigers this season, beating them 120-111 at North Shore Events Centre in round two before beating them by two points in Melbourne in round eight.
The Tigers were hot favourites for the title at the beginning of the season and are now starting to show top form, having won their last four matches since introducing Luke Kendall and Dave Thomas into the lineup.
The Breakers by contrast lost their first three matches this year before bouncing back with victory over the Townsville Crocodiles last Thursday.
That run coincided with an ankle injury to key point guard C.J. Bruton.
They lost away matches to the Gold Coast Blaze and Sydney Spirit with Bruton absent, and then lost in overtime in a quality match away to the Dragons.
Bruton played a reduced role in that match, and did the same last week as the Breakers downed the Crocodiles. He should be back on court tonight.
A Breakers win at home would see them break their previous record of 16 wins in an ANBL season, and recording their 50th home victory in the ANBL.
A milestone is also approaching for Oscar Forman, who needs 13 points to reach 2000 in the ANBL.
- NZPA
