THE New Zealand Breakers started their quest for redemption in ideal fashion over the weekend, defeating the Cairns Taipans to the tune of 11 points at Spark Arena on Saturday night, with Parker Jackson-Cartwright stealing the show.

The Breakers fell one win short of the ultimate prize last season, bested by the ladder-leading Sydney Kings in the Grand Final series, almost pulling off one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NBL history. This season, they are looking to go one step further, and came across another of last season’s big improvers in the Taipans in Round 1. With both sides making significant changes to their respective rosters over the last few months, it would be a good indicator of which sides made the right moves.

The Taipans issued a challenge in the first quarter, scraping out to a slim lead to take a three-point advantage into the first change. However, Cairns’ offence dried up in the second term, while New Zealand continued to chug along nicely with some excellent ball movement. Although it was not a match-winning lead, the Breakers would have been pleased to take a three-point lead into the main break.

However, the home side broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Taipans 31-18 as they shot the lights out in an eruptive display of scoring. Although the Taipans fought back in the final period, the damage was already done as the Breakers celebrated Thomas Abercrombie‘s 400th game in style with a 98-87 win.

In his first game as a member of the Breakers, Jackson-Cartwright was an immense figure for the winning side, doing a lot of everything in a tremendous debut performance.

New Zealand Breakers (98) def. Cairns Taipans (87)

Parker Jackson-Cartwright – 25 points, four rebounds, eight assists, six steals

The import guard was as influential as anyone in Round 1 during New Zealand’s win over Cairns on Saturday, proving a headache for the opposition on both ends of the floor.

With the absence of star point guard William McDowell-White due to a finger injury, Jackson-Cartwright was given full reign in controlling the team’s offence, and did so in superb fashion.

Shooting an accurate 10/17 from the field, he registered a game-high 25 points, slicing through the defence with his unpredictable tempo that constantly found the defence on the back foot. He did his best work inside the arc (8/12 2PT), although the guard did chime in for a pair of three-pointers, showcasing he can stretch the floor if given space on the perimeter.

As a passer, Jackson-Cartwright did an excellent job at drawing the defence in, allowing his teammates to take high-percentage shots from the field. The likes of Finn Delany (18 points), Justinian Jessup (15 points), Zylan Cheatham (11 points) and Mangok Mathiang (11 points) all benefited from excellent passing from their point guard. Due to the fact that his passing prowess was creating baskets, Jackson-Cartwright’s ability to find the bottom of the net himself if the defence collapsed on the passing lanes was immense.

Defensively, he proved a constant disrupter, forcing the Taipans into frequent mistakes. This also created transition baskets for the Breakers, with Jackson-Cartwright often involved in these as well. Patrick Miller (seven turnovers) was often brought undone both when passing and dribbling the ball, which had a big say in the result of the game.

It was as emphatic of a debut game as the Breakers could have asked for from Jackson-Cartwright, who was a leader on both ends of the court. With McDowell-White set to return in the upcoming round, the Breakers will be even more dangerous given Jackson-Cartwright has shown what he is capable of.