Tag Archives: NBL

New Zealand

The NBL 2021 New Zealand Breakers beat the weary Perth Wildcat in an NBL shock | Instant News


The New Zealand Breakers had a stunning turnaround in the second half and took advantage of the weary Perth Wildcats to record an 83-78 NBL win at the RAC Arena.

The Breakers were in the main hole 13 points down midway through the third quarter before an overwhelming offensive attack overwhelmed the two-time reigning champions, who are playing their fifth game in 11 days.

It was sweet revenge for the Breakers who lost their overtime game against the Wildcats last week in Launceston.

Levi Randolph (23 points) was the hero off the bench for the visitors, highlighted by a spectacular blast at the end of the third stanza to turn things around.

Colton Iverson (11 points, 17 rebounds) dominated the game amid a fierce battle with John Mooney, who is the Wildcats’ seed with 22 points and eight rebounds.

Bryce Cotton, the hot favorite to win a second consecutive MVP award, struggled with 12 points on 4-of-17 shots from the field.

It was a costly defeat for the Wildcats (17-6) who slipped a game behind league leaders Melbourne United, while the Breakers (7-16) remained bottom second after round 14.

“Sometimes it starts rolling. We played well and defended great,” said Breakers coach Dan Shamir.

“This is a big win for us and we are very happy.”

Emerging from a cool shooting game early on against Illawarra, Cotton drained his first field goal but Perth couldn’t ignore a determined Breakers led by Iverson, who had five offensive rebounds in the first quarter.

The Wildcats looked exhausted during a dismal second stanza, but Mooney made up for the shortfall by 14 points in the first half to push the Wildcats 42-39 ahead on the long break.

The home side made their move after halftime with an eight-point streak and threatened to open up the game before the Breakers’ incredible 22-4 run put them ahead 65-60 at the final break.

The Breakers parried a Wildcats rally marked by a brilliant heist and layup from captain Tom Abercrombie with 16 seconds remaining to smash the 250-game milestone from Mitch Norton and coach Trevor Gleeson.

The Wildcats’ stand-three home game ends on Friday night against the Brisbane Bullets, while the Breakers host Cairns in the previous fixture.

.



image source

New Zealand

NBL Bryce Cotton starred in the Perth Wildcats’ overtime win over the New Zealand Breakers | Instant News


Bryce Cotton produced a second-half masterclass, ending with a superb three-pointer at the full-time buzzer, to guide the Perth Wildcats to a gripping 85-79 win over the New Zealand Breakers at the Silverdome.

Cotton, the NBL MVP favorite, overcame a goalless opening season on Tuesday – on the back of a poor match against Adelaide last Saturday – to finish off 26 of his game’s highest 31 points after halftime.

His brilliant display featured an unbalanced three-pointer, double pump to force extra time, which he dominated.

“We had rest time left and the other people knew the game and executed it well (1.7 seconds left in the final quarter),” said Perth coach Trevor Gleeson. “The BC with dual pumps looks like it’s going to run a little short, but we’ll take it.”

The Wildcats looked a long way from starting pace, missing 20 of their first 23 shots, Cotton was goalless until midway through the second half and fellow importer John Mooney (three points with eight per cent) had a rare stinker.

The Breakers, matched by top-notch attacker Finn Delany (25 points, nine rebounds), had their first shot and were leading 23-9 in quarter time.

Then Perth flipped the script in the second set, beating NZ 23-10 to reduce the deficit to a point in the first half before taking the lead early in the third with a third corner from Mitch Norton.

In NBL’s first game in Tasmania since 2005 and first at Launceston since 1982, the Wildcats led 69-63 with one minute remaining in regulation on Todd Blanchfield’s steal and lay-up of third-man Will McDowell-White’s turnover.

But just as the game seemed to be over, McDowell-White made amends with a strong drive and a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining.

He deliberately tried to miss the second but it veered off, which gave Perth time to set up and erase NZ’s three-point lead.

Cotton did it in spectacular fashion at the full-time bell – after he had unusually missed the previous 17 three-pointers.

Cotton, who scored 20 of Perth’s last 26 points, alone outperformed NZ 9-7 in overtime, further establishing himself as one of the greatest NBL players of all time.

“It is a reminder that matches can be decided by very small things,” said Breakers coach Dan Shamir. “We wanted to miss the last free throw, which is not always easy.

“Cotton then drives the three crazy and here we are at a loss.”

.



image source

New Zealand

United shocks the NZ Breakers in an NBL comeback | Instant News


Melbourne United have produced the biggest second-half comeback in franchise history to beat the New Zealand Breakers 82-79 and complete a winning streak.

Following a tight win over Illawarra to break a four-game losing streak, United came back from 18 points behind at the Bendigo Basketball Stadium on Thursday night.

New Zealand beat Melbourne 28-12 in the second quarter to take a 16-point lead at half-time and appeared to be on their way to victory, winning 62-44 midway through the third period.

But United picked up 15 consecutive points to get back into the contest then lifted the defense to hold New Zealand to 25 points in the second half and completed a remarkable turnaround to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

“It feels great to be able to win and come from behind, I can guarantee that much,” said guard Chris Goulding after the Melbourne foul overcame a poor start to bounce back when it counted.

“We’re continuing to do a better process of getting those shots and if we can consistently do that, hopefully, it’s a numbers game and we start dropping a few shots wide open.”

Mitch McCarron and Shea Ili scored 16 points apiece while Goulding (13) and Landale (12) lifted when Melbourne needed inspiration in the final quarter.

United remain in second place on the NBL ladder, two wins over rivals South East Melbourne Phoenix ahead of Saturday’s local derby.

Injured starters Scott Hopson and Jack White are likely to return to Melbourne but must pass a fitness test.

United needed a pair of Ili’s three-pointer to equalize 26-26 at the end of the first quarter but New Zealand continued to roll in the second as United’s offense stalled.

The Breakers closed the half with a 54-38 lead thanks to six of 10 shots from distance and double digits from Finn Delany, Colton Iverson and Rasmus Bach.

Down 18 points in the third quarter, McCarron’s strike in the ring kicked off Melbourne’s comeback and Goulding snapped a 15-0 run-up to cut New Zealand’s lead to 62-59.

Jarrad Weeks scored three goals to relieve pressure for New Zealand and led 65-59 into the final quarter, but that was not enough as Yudai Baba produced a series of big games to help United take the lead in stoppage time.

Breakers coach Dan Shamir felt the game against them when Iverson took a foul early in the fourth quarter when his injured squad canceled their fourth straight game.

“We continue to fight and do whatever we can, all of us – players, staff and possession,” said Shamir.

“We will have three more players, but at the moment everyone is important.”

.



image source

New Zealand

NBL William McDowell-White to join the New Zealand Breakers | Instant News


Australian guard William McDowell-White has signed a contract with the New Zealand Breakers for the remainder of 2021 NBL season, sources told ESPN.

The 22-year-old has just finished his second season in the NBA G-League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 3.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists over the 2020-21 campaign, in just less. of 17 minutes per game.

McDowell-White will fill the blank spot on the Breakers list left by Rob Loe, who returned to New Zealand for “personal reasons” in February.

McDowell-White, the 6’5 combo keeper, was recently appointed a member of Brian Goorjian’s 24-man Australian Boomers squad, and has attended training camp with The Houston Rockets for the last two seasons.

The signing marks McDowell-White’s return to NBL, who played the first season of his professional career with the Sydney Kings in 2016.

McDowell-White, a native of Queensland, will join the Breakers team that has been traveling throughout the 2021 season; circumstances that are not expected to change. Coached by Dan Shamir, Breakers currently sits in eighth place on the NBL charts with a 4-7 record.

McDowell-White will leave the United States in the coming days and enter a hotel quarantine in Australia, sources said, before joining the Breakers.

.



image source

Australia

NBA NBL Warriors sends reconnaissance sources to Australia | Instant News


That Golden State Warriors has sent scouts to Australia to monitor Justinian Jessup’s progress, league sources told ESPN.

Jessup, picked up by the Warriors with a 51st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, saved with the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks for the 2021 season and has impressed franchise executives to the point where they decided to keep a closer eye on his progress. .

While in Australia, the scouts – currently in mandatory hotel quarantine, sources said – will also carry out routine duties of their job, evaluating talent across the NBL. He will only be allowed to attend Hawks practice which will be open to all scouts, per NBA guidelines.

Jessup, the 6’7 wing, was part of the NBL’s Next Stars program, and averaged 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for Hawks Brian Goorjian, who currently sits at an 8- record. 6.

Jessup is widely regarded as one of the best shooters on the NBL, hitting from behind the three-point line with a 46.8 percent clip.

The move from the Warriors was not entirely unprecedented for an NBA team. That New Orleans Pelicans has an Australian based talent scout working with Didi Louzada, who was recruited by the franchise in 2019 with an overall selection of 35th. Louzada is also the Next Star, and is in the middle of his second season with the Sydney Kings.

.



image source