NZ Breakers 88-75 Melbourne United

OH, TRIPLE DOUBLE ALERT!

Cedric Jackson had both his and the franchise's second career triple-double with a dominating, scintillating, captivating performance as he tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists… and he did it in front of his parents, in the country watching him play for the Breakers for the first ever time.

On a sweaty afternoon in Auckland, there must have been fewer nicer places to be than an air-conditioned Vector Arena. (Shout out to the electric fan that made this article possible). There was a bit of a surprise come tip-off when Corey Webster was dropped to the bench with Rhys Carter a starter. However Webster responded to hit 5 of his 6 first half shots and he finished the game with 17 points.

The Breakers were up for this one, and they showed it with their hustle from the start. Mika Vukona stealing an inbounds pass at one point and finishing the layup after some Cedric Slickness. Mika was playing in his 200th consecutive game, by the way. There’s a player for ya. NZB got up early but United hauled it back with three point shooting.

The second half was the boiling point though. Up by just three with 48 seconds left in the third quarter, and with a Melbourne barrage never all that far away, the Breakers scored the last couple baskets then rolled away in the third as Cedric completed his trip-dub. The lead was never again lower than 5 and finished at a game-high 13.

Uncle Kenny Ibekwe had 15 & 9 off the bench on another very solid day for him, while Tom Abercrombie scored 14 from his 8 shots. Rhys Carter scored 8 points after his promotion.

That means it’s 5 wins on the trot now, the second such streak this season and a guaranteed playoff spot will be secured with a win on Friday night. That ain’t enough though, these lads want home-courts and they remain a game ahead of Cairns in first place.

Stocks:

Movin’ On Up Like Curtis Mayfield – Cedric Jackson hits those high notes once more. He’s not a great shooter, and his percentages suffer by that. But when he gets the ball in his hands in motion, good things tend to happen. He creates open shots for others like nobody else in the ANBL, often driving to the basket with no intention of shooting. He’s a magician. “Move on up, towards your destination…”

Goin’ Down Slow Like Howlin’ Wolf – This was gonna be Corey Webster with his benching until he came in and top scored. Maybe he should be Movin’ On Up too? He played a great role off the bench last season covering both guard positions and bringing some real sixth man potential. His benching may have been to do with his shooting volume not being all that productive, or maybe it’s to balance the method of scoring off the bench. Rhys Carter is more of a spot three shooter, whereas Webster can score in a few ways – driving the ball, pulling up, fade-aways, etc. It looks like a demotion, but maybe it’s best for him? Carter as a starter (sorry to do that again) definitely mimics the role of Daryl Corletto last season. Corletto, btw, had 8 off the bench for Melbourne in this game.