IN THE second match of the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season, the Brisbane Bullets got the job done during their road trip, defeating the New Zealand Breakers by nine points at Spark Arena on Friday night.

New Zealand Breakers (95) def. by Brisbane Bullets (104)

Both sides had enjoyed productive recruiting stints over the offseason, and were looking to get off to a strong start for what was shaping up as a competitive 2025/26 season. The Breakers did have home court advantage, but Brisbane’s import trio was potentially looming as the best in the competition, so Friday’s clash had plenty of intrigue.

After Casey Prather set the tone in the first quarter, the Bullets were able to hold on for a 104-95 victory across the Tasman, helping new Head Coach Stu Lash claim his first victory at the helm of the team in the perfect start to the fixture.

Prather scored Brisbane’s first seven points and was electric in the opening minutes to silence the crowd in Auckland, looking back to his best and adding a nice balance next to offseason recruits Jaylen Adams and Javon Freeman-Liberty. He finished the match with 27 points, thanks to making four of his eight attempts from behind the arc.

Big man Tyrell Harrison was a dominant force in the paint as well, stuffing the stat sheet for a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds, shooting an efficient 8/11 from the floor as well as he owned the frontcourt battle.

Adams was his usual productive self for his first regular season game, posting 14 points, seven assists and five steals and looking dangerously close to returning to his MVP form from a few years ago, while Freeman-Liberty had his moments with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, with the trio losing no fans in their first official performance together.

The Breakers backcourt duo in Izaiah Brockington (16 points) and Parker Jackson-Cartwright (16 points, 12 assists, six turnovers) showed glimpses of clicking, but could not break the game apart as many expected them to do.

NBL Next Star and potential top 10 NBA Draft pick in 2026 Karim Lopez had some solid moments to kick off his second campaign with the team, posting six points, five assists, one steal and a block as he brought his trademark physicality to the table.

New Zealand was favouring shots from long-range, but shot just 5/29 from three-point territory, and fell out of the game in the final quarter when the Bullets forced three consecutive turnovers on the back of some immense defensive pressure.

Despite being 24 lead changes in the first half in a see-sawing affair, the Breakers were unable to claw their way back into the game in the fourth period, and ended their first home game of the season with a loss, while the Bullets took plenty of encouragement out of their first game together as a unit.