Breakers hold their own
They didn’t quite manage to pull off the upset but the Breakers, powered by a starring display by Corey Webster, won’t be forgetting their first NBA experience anytime soon.
The Kiwi franchise more than held their own against the Phoenix Suns, giving their highprofile opponents a late scare before going down 91-86 in Phoenix yesterday.
Webster, who played three pre-season games for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015 and took part in the NBA Summer League with Dallas last year, proved he was not out of place on the big stage.
The 29-year-old guard was arguably the best on the court, scoring a game-high 27 points and seven assists while shooting 4-10 from beyond the arc.
He was well supported by Tai Wesley (15 points) and Patrick Richard (11 points), while US import Shawn Long, finished with 10 rebounds.
Webster had six more points than Phoenix’s leading scorer and the NBA’s No 1 draft pick, DeAndre Ayton, who capped an impressive all-round display with 15 rebounds and three blocks.
It was a brave performance by the Breakers, who looked to have ran out of steam in the third quarter as the Suns shot out to a 19-point lead.
But they refused to roll over and showed great hustle at both ends of the court to ramp up the pressure on the NBA stars.
With just over a minute to go, the Breakers whittled down the deficit to just four points only for the home team to hold on for a nervous victory.
The Suns may have been guilty of taking their foot off the gas but there were several encouraging signs for Breakers coach Kevin Braswell, not least his team’s fighting spirit, as they work towards the season opener, against the Brisbane Bullets on October 11.
Part of a cross-league preseason series between the NBA and Australian NBL, both teams were guilty of poor starts.
The Breakers eventually settled and twice went on to hold a three-point lead in the first quarter before the Suns went into the opening break up 28-20.
After a strong outing against the Sacramento Kings earlier this week, Ayton continued to show what all the fuss is about as he racked up a double-double well before halftime.
Webster, though, was not about to let the moment pass him by. He kept the Breakers in the contest with a 10-point second quarter. And when he drained his third three at the start of the third the lead was down to seven.
The Suns responded as most would have expected them to, taking control of the contest with a 14-0 run, and that ultimately proved decisive.
However, their finish left a lot to be desired and the Breakers almost made them pay, outscoring the Suns 24-14 in the final period.