IN A Sunday afternoon thriller in the National Basketball League (NBL), the Perth Wildcats recorded an impressive road victory over the New Zealand Breakers, thanks to a strong showing from star pair Kristian Doolittle and Jo Lual-Acuil.

Facing the longest road trip in the NBL, the Wildcats maintained their strong away record throughout the 2025/26 season, and spoiled the Breakers’ homecoming at Spark Arena, with the home side returning to the venue for the first time since December 6.

However, Perth recorded its second consecutive win after defeating the Brisbane Bullets on New Years Day, and continued to put forth its championship credentials as the fixture rolls into the final couple of months of play.

New Zealand Breakers (91) def. by Perth Wildcats (99)

It was a promising start from New Zealand in the opening frame, with point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright setting the tone defensively with plenty of effort to help his Breakers to a six-point buffer. However, Dylan Windler scored eight points to close out the quarter and lead the Wildcats to a terrific turnaround and a five-point lead at the first change.

It looked as if Perth was going to run away with the contest when the visitors’ margin pushed out to 11 points in the second frame, as the Wildcats began to fire on all cylinders. The game began to slip away from the Breakers, before NBL Next Star Karim Lopez inspired New Zealand to a strong finish to the half, and at the main break, the deficit was trimmed to just three points.

Perth caught fire from behind the arc in the penultimate period, with the Breakers allowing the visitors to generate wide open looks from behind the arc. Windler and Doolittle were the main culprits in this attack, but the margin was only pushed out to six at the final change as the Breakers held on for dear life with a quarter to play.

New Zealand impressively caught the lead early in the fourth, with a pair of threes and then a stepback jumper from Jackson-Cartwright providing a spark on the offensive end. However, the Breakers could not buy a basket for the remainder of the match, going scoreless for nearly seven minutes and missing 10 consecutive shots as the Wildcats regained the scoreboard advantage and held on for victory.

Doolittle and Lual-Acuil were the main offenders when the game was there to be won, with the pair combining for 41 points and poking holes in the opposition’s defensive structure in the fourth quarter. Windler was also impressive, posting a double-double courtesy of some impressive scoring runs to finish with 17 points and 10 boards.

Breakers big man Sam Mennenga continued a breakout season in the NBL, leading the way for New Zealand on the offensive end with a team-high 19 points, while Next Star Lopez was rock-solid once again with 11 points and seven boards as he remains a strong contender for lottery selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, which will take place later in the year.