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The New Zealand Breakers are through to the NBL Grand Final series after making it a 2-0 series win in the semi-finals against Melbourne United on Saturday.
After upsetting United away from home on Thursday the Breakers were able knock the minor premiers out in straight sets with a win on their home court.
Cedric Jackson had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Breakers, while Thomas Abercrombie and Chris Goulding were the top scorers in the game with 23 each.
Final score
New Zealand Breakers 91
Melbourne United 78
The minor premiers Melbourne United face an uphill battle as they travel to New Zealand to face the defending champions who at the moment are playing inspired team basketball. In what promises to be a hard fought battle, join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 5:30pm (AEDT).
Melbourne United’s minor premiership celebration must seem like a distant memory as they fell to a red hot New Zealand Breakers on Friday. The defending champions are coming together at the right time. Melbourne found it tough against a rugged New Zealand defence as Chris Goulding and Steven Holt shot 33 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.
New Zealand come into Game 2 having won their past six games including their last three against United. The Breakers starting five were fantastic in Game 1, combining for 69 points. Cedric Jackson had 20 points, Corey Webster 14 points, Thomas Abercrombie 16 points, while Mika Vukona and Alex Pledger combined for 25 rebounds.
On the other hand, United’s starters struggled from the opening quarter and were outscored 27-16. Chris Goulding tried hard finishing with 23 points but shot just 7-21 from the field.
The only shining light for United was former NBA player Hakim Warrick who was unstoppable and finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and four block shots. His efforts were not enough to get his team home but he didn’t receive much help.
Melbourne United must regroup in Game 2 and improve their defensive pressure, rebounding and cutting down on turnovers. At times throughout Game 1 they seemed complacent and struggled to attack with any sense of urgency. They must play like a team that won the minor premiership.
Key Matchup
Cedric Jackson versus Chris Goulding. Jackson took first round honors, as his defensive pressure limited Goulding to 33 per cent. As Goulding does so often he still finds a way to score and Jackson must keep up the pressure. Jackson had a fine Game 1 and is one of the most electric guards in the league. This will be a great battle.
Prediction
New Zealand are playing like defending champions should and they are the red hot favourites for Game 2, but no one should completely shutout Melbourne United. There is no way they play the way they did in Game 1, but winning in New Zealand is a tough task. Still, I’m going against what all the stats say in this one and I’m tipping Melbourne United by 4 points.
Join The Roar from 5:30pm (AEDT) for scores and debate in our live blog.
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