The former league MVP led his side in almost every major category, pouring in 16 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists, further stuffing his stat sheet with three steals and two blocks.
"He had a little extra bounce in his step and he was excited to play in front of his parents again, "Vickerman said of the American guard. "And he attacked."
The Breakers (17-5) needed every bit of Jackson's virtuoso effort to see off a Melbourne side (10-10) scrapping for their playoff lives. The Kiwi club, on the other hand, have some certainty surrounding the postseason, with the only real question surrounding their quest for home advantage throughout the finals.
But, with a player like Jackson running the show, few would bet against the Breakers finishing on top. That was the end result during the 28-year-old's first stint in Auckland, a two-year stretch that peaked on a personal level with a 28-point/10-rebound/10-assist night against Melbourne in 2012.
On that occasion, the motivation came from a match-up with former NBA top-10 draft pick Jonny Flynn. The time, it was the presence of his parents, causing Jackson to initially attempt a spectacular dunk before settling into his more familiar all-round game.
"I really wanted that dunk in the beginning - it crushed my world when I fell," he laughed. "It was good to see them on the sideline and I'm glad we got the win."
That win helped the Breakers celebrate a pair of milestones in some style, with assistant coach Paul Henare enjoying his 300th outing involved with the club and Mika Vukona playing his 200th consecutive Australian NBL game.
Vukona contributed a typically solid seven points and six rebounds, while Corey Webster - beginning on the bench after failing during the week to meet the club's community obligations - came on to lead the Breakers with 17 points.
Ekene Ibekwe had 15 off the bench and Tom Abercrombie chimed in with 14 but, unsurprisingly, all eyes were on Jackson. The point guard was quiet as the Breakers controlled much of the first half, grabbing five points as the home side led by two at the major break.
That buffer swelled to seven by the end of the third as Jackson warmed to his work, grabbing eight points in the period to set up his side nicely for the final 10 minutes. And the Breakers never looked like relinquishing that lead, leaving Jackson's search for history the only remaining intrigue - not that he knew it at the time.
"I'm so into the game I never really knew," Jackson said. "Then Pauli gave me a heads-up and just just tried my hardest to get one more rebound."
Mission accomplished, for Mum and Dad.
Breakers 88 (Jackson 16, Ibekwe 15, Webster 14)
Melbourne 75 (Dennis 18, Kickert 15, Barlow )
HT: 42-40
