THE race for the National Basketball League (NBL)’s Most Valuable Player is seriously hard to predict after games like the one we just saw. Tuesday night hosted some more Round 19 action, as the fixture closed for the week with a clash between the New Zealand Breakers and the Sydney Kings at Bendigo Basketball Stadium. There were a few storylines for each side coming into the contest, and while it may have seemed like a dead rubber given the standings, the two teams had a bit to play for.

The Breakers had pushed some of the competition’s best in the last week, and were looking to make the next step and finally shock the league with a big upset. On the other hand, the Kings were going for a whopping 12th win in a row as they look to firm their premiership credentials. For a while, it looked as if the match could go either way, but as all the good teams do, the Kings managed to find a game-winner in the form of Jaylen Adams and claim a six-point win.

New Zealand Breakers (70) def. by Sydney Kings (76)

First Half

As they have in their last few games, the Breakers got off to quite a good start in the match. It was an arm wrestle for much of the first term, but behind sharpshooter Finn Delany, New Zealand was able to snatch the lead late in the quarter, thanks to some impressive shooting from behind the arc. After trailing by three at the first break, the Kings completely owned the second period, producing some clinical work on both ends of the court. The Breakers could only manage 10 points for the term, unable to overcome the suffocating nature of the defence they faced. On the other hand, the Kings were firing on the offensive end, sharing the ball with ease to turn their deficit into an 11-point half time advantage.

Second Half

The Breakers kicked off the second half by showing they were not going to just roll over and let the Kings do as they please, slowly chipping away at the lead behind the efforts of star big man Yannick Wetzell. He led from the front by providing a reliable avenue to scoring in the paint, and he pulled down some big rebounds at both ends. Suddenly, it was a five-point margin heading into the final term, with all the pressure on the Kings. The lead was stretched out to double-digits again, as hope began to fade for the home side. Delany and Wetzell combined again to produce one last charge, but as he has done so many times in season 2021/22, Adams delivered the knockout blow with a dagger from deep, sealing the win for Sydney.

Standout Performers

When discussing the win for the Kings, it is impossible not to have the performance of Adams come up. He was electric with a team-high 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Most importantly, he nailed the door shut with a big shot at the end of the game, further boosting his MVP case. For the Breakers, Wetzell and Delany led the way, and almost dragged their side to an unlikely upset. Wetzell had a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Delany did it all with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.