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The league-leading Sydney Kings will make the trip across the Tasman to take on the New Zealand Breakers to kick off Round 3 of the NBL. Follow all the live action from 5:30pm (AEDT) here on The Roar.
The Kings bounced back from a disappointing first round loss to the Bullets with two victories back-to-back last week to take the lead in a tight NBL ladder.
A battling four-point win against the Hawks was followed up by an impressive showing by Andrew Gaze’s men against the Taipans.
Led by a monster 43-point game by Jason Cadee, Sydney ran riot over the hapless Cairns outfit to get their season kick-started and carry some much-needed momentum into the dreaded trip across the ditch.
New Zealand have had the opposite start to their season.
They kicked off their campaign with a tentative showing against Melbourne United in the first round, eventually breaking away in a tight final quarter to win by five points.
With plenty to work on, the Breakers just couldn’t put it together in their second round trip to Perth.
Despite taking a lead into the final break, New Zealand looked shaky and just couldn’t hold off the Wildcats who came home strong in the dying minutes to take a two-point win.
While Sydney are coming into the contest off the back of two wins, they played two games in three days last weekend and have now had to travel across the Tasman and settle in to prepare for the clash.
Contrastingly, the Breakers have played just one game in the last 13 days.
It’s shaping up to be a real physical battle in the paint, a part of the game that both coaches take a lot of pride in.
Despite a slow start in their Round 1 loss, the Kings bounced back with plenty of gusto in the second round, racking up 40 or more rebounds both games and blowing the opposition away on second chance points.
Even when the defence shuts them down under the basket, Sydney have been able to adjust, backing down in the post and opening up space on the edge for their long-range shooters.
It will certainly be an area Gaze will want his men to target after the Breakers’ sluggish effort against Perth.
In a finals series replay from last season, the Wildcats completely shut the Breakers down in the paint – an area where they normally excel – nearly doubling the New Zealand side’s scoring in the paint.
New Zealand have one of the best defences in the league and will no doubt make it tough for a Kings side that likes to play aggressive and score hard and fast out of the gate in the opening quarter.
Prediction
Form would say the Kings, but this is not a road trip to be taken lightly, especially against one of the best sides in the competition in recent times.
New Zealand have been one of the powerhouses of the league in the past decade, winning four championships and coming up short last year as the runner-up.
The Breakers will be using this as a launching pad to get their season on track after a slow start and the Kings.
Look for Sydney to jump out of the gates early, but New Zealand should bring it home in the second half in a tight finish.
Breakers by 3.
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