NZ Breakers 84-70 Townsville Crocodiles

This one was pretty clinical. The Breakers eased past the Townsville Crocs at Vector, nullifying the effect of the League’s top scorer, Brian Conklin.

A quick start set this game in motion the way it was to proceed. The kiwi side worked some nice offensive possessions although it was defensively where they established themselves. They kept their opponents to only 12 points in the first quarter. It felt like it might be a 30 point runaway at that stage but the Crocs found their shooting in the second.

That quarter started with a 9-0 run from the visitors to give them a brief lead. However the influence of Cedric Jackson and a bit of punch from Ekene Ibekwe off the bench sorted that out. The Breakers had a 4 point lead at the half, but blew things out in the third. They went on a run near the end of that quarter where they were simply red hot, the kind of avalanche of momentum that we hadn’t seen so far this season. Yet every time they looked to really run away with it the Townsville team would hit a tough shot or two.

It wasn’t enough. NZB won by 14 in the end and you can give a lot of credit there to what they did without the ball. Conklin was the danger, everyone knew it, yet he was kept to just 3 points on 1-13 shooting. He’ll be having Halloween nightmares about Mika Vukona who guarded him into submission. Padded walls and a straightjacket were being prepared just in case. Mika also chimed in with 6p/8r, passing 18000 career points with a late jumper.

The Breakers won the rebound battle 40 to 31, they had more assists and fewer fouls. The Crocs shot well to save some face but this was a rampant win. Four players scored in double figures for NZB.

One of the best things to see was this team continuing to score down the stretch despite a healthy lead. They never let the oppo back into things even as they threatened to get hot shooting threes. Jackson led all scorers with 17 (plus 5r/6a) while Webster added 15, Ibekwe 13 and Abercrombie 12. Alex Pledger had 9 & 9. It looks like Vickerman has settled on his centre dynamics, with Pledger starting and Ibekwe bringing some impetus off the bench.

Stocks:

Movin’ On Up Like Curtis Mayfield – Cedric had his best game of the season. He was assured, effective and versatile. This guy is so clever and so dynamic, he can beat teams in a lot of different ways and he showed plenty of that this night. Driving to the rim, banking threes, kicking the ball out, rebounding… the free throw shooting ain’t great still, but the guy’s playing with a brace on his elbow, we’ll cut him some slack. Especially after that game.

Goin’ Down Slow Like Howlin’ Wolf – Tai Wesley has some work to do finishing around the rim. He’s a big fella with a lot of strength and he likes to throw himself around. Gotta have that touch though or it’s not worth much other than fouls and a few boards. He shot 2-9 for his 4 points, which would be disappointing if he were a perimeter shooter (he did spot one 3) but for a guy who works in the paint that’s pretty awful. Credit where it’s due, though, Wesley did do some great stuff defensively.

Ah but the biggest stock drop came from this thing of having the corporate tables so close to the court. Cedric ran into one in the first half, and got his jersey splattered with wine. They then had to delay the game while the broken glass was cleaned up. And in the second half Uncle Kenny Ibekwe had to hurdle a fan, slipping on a tablecloth as he did and falling awkwardly. Nice to see a few crowd members helping him out, along with Rhys Carter, though still a point of worry. Especially if people aren’t paying full attention to the game.

Key Stat

That would be Mr Conklin’s stat line: 25 mins, 3 points, 1-13 shooting (8%). Plus 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 personal fouls. He’d previously averaged 22.8 points (at over 50% from the field) & 8.5 rebounds per game.

Play of the Game

There are a few that could be worthy nominations, so to split ‘em let’s take the player of the game’s finest moment. It’s Cedric throwing fakes left right and centre before flicking up a tough layup. There are maybe 2 other people in the entire ANBL capable of doing this, and that might be generous to say.

Match MVP Points

Cedric Jackson – 3

Mika Vukona – 2

Tom Abercrombie – 1

Ekene Ibekwe – 1

Season MVP Standings

Corey Webster – 9

Cedric Jackson – 7

Rhys Carter – 5

Ekene Ibekwe – 5

Up Next

Sunday, 3.30pm: Adelaide 36ers vs NZ Breakers, Adelaide Arena (NZT)