OVER the last few days, the National Basketball League (NBL) has held its preseason Blitz competition, with sides able to get some run into their players heading into the season opener next month. The competition is being played across three states, with Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria all hosting some action over the coming weeks. This weekend kicked off the first batch of the 22-game fixture, with plenty of close contests keeping fans around the country engaged for the week thus far. While there was only one match on Thursday night, there was no lack of entertainment for supporters of the league, with the contest going down to the wire.

New Zealand Breakers (97) def. Sydney Kings (93)

In a stirring contest, the New Zealand Breakers fought hard and were able to emerge victorious as they took down the Sydney Kings by just four points at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Thursday night. In the Breakers’ first outing of the season, the side looked down and out at three quarter time, with the lead sitting at an unlikely margin. However, they were able to produce a stunning last quarter that simply overwhelmed their opponents as they pulled off the biggest comeback we’ve seen throughout the NBL Blitz tournament so far. It is a promising start for the Breakers’ campaign, with the side set to face a tough few months based away from home in Australia, but if they can produce more quarters like their final term on Thursday night, it may make their journey all the more easy.

The first quarter could not have started in better fashion for the Kings, with guard Jaylen Adams stealing the tip-off and bursting down to open the scoring with a lay-up in the opening three seconds of the match. His side did have the upper hand in this quarter, particularly in the opening minutes, as they opened the match on a dominant 12-0 run, with the signs of rust evident for the Breakers. During this time, the Kings were able to essentially do as they please, with the highlight coming courtesy of an Adams to Xavier Cooks ally-oop. However, the Breakers were able to finally find their rhythm. The charge was largely led by Jeremiah Martin, who began attacking the rim with some serious ferocity and was able to either score or draw a foul. Despite the early blowout, the Breakers trailed by just six points at the first break.

The second term saw a much more even contest in contrast to the opening minutes of the game, with the two sides swapping baskets in what was some terrific back-and-forth action. The Breakers opened the term where they left off in the first, with a pair of three-pointers reducing the margin to just two points after a few minutes of play. However, the Kings had no plans to simply lie down, as they fought back to stretch the margin back out to eight points, looking to stamp the authority in the match. However, once again it was the long-distance shooting of the Breakers that kept them in the contest, and a buzzer beating lay-up to New Zealand reducing the margin to four points thanks to Yannick Wetzell.

The second half opened in the same contested fashion to the first half’s finish. Neither side was able to truly get a hold on the game, with each basket answered by their opponents. The importance of being able to make shots from behind the three point line was in full display throughout the quarter. Both sides were able to find their shooters in ideal positions, with many of these shots finding the bottom of the net. It was a perfect example of the modern game, with sides looking to extend their range for maximum points on as many occasions as possible. The Kings were able to extend the lead by one, and given the close nature of the game thus far, it looked unlikely the Breakers could conjure a comeback.

These doubts were dispelled from midway through the final term, but not without worry beforehand. The Kings jumped out to an early eight-point lead thanks to a deep shot from Adams. Things began to look grim for New Zealand, but they were still in the contest. The tide began to turn when the Breakers began to get their premier talent involved, including Martin, who was able to tie the contest up with less than four minutes to go. The Breakers continued this momentum to take a match-winning lead, and despite a late-scare from the Kings, New Zealand held on to pull off a remarkable final term which saw them outscore their opponents 31-22.

The Breakers were well led by a fantastic performance off the bench from Martin, who poured in 23 points, four rebounds and seven assists in just 23 minutes of action. It was a terrific outing for the guard, who looks set to have a major impact for the Breakers this season. For the Kings, Adams and Jarell Martin led the charge, particularly early to combine for 31 points, in what should be a promising sign for the Sydney coaches heading into the regular season in under a month.