Rule gaffe denies Breakers a late shot to win

Breakers import Zylan Cheatham learnt a hard lesson last night in one key difference between playing in the NBA and NBL: In the NBL, you can’t call a timeout during live play.

So when Cheatham grabbed a defensive rebound with about three seconds left and tried to call a timeout, it brought a brutal end to proceedings, as the Breakers suffered an 82-81 loss in New Plymouth.

The New Zealand side had started strongly looking to respond from their loss against Perth last weekend.

Next Star Mantas Rubstavicius was again prominent in the opening moments, scoring nine points in the first five minutes to push the hosts out to an early lead.

Just as they did against Perth, the Breakers looked impressive in the first quarter moving the ball on attack and making their shots — sinking their first seven attempts before their first miss — and were well positioned on defence.

The match started to stagnate for the Breakers midway through the quarter, though, and Melbourne halved the lead in the final two minutes to be just five points behind at the first break.

There was more of the same in the second quarter. The Breakers looked fantastic at times, but when the ball stopped moving, they struggled to get the better of the Melbourne defence. The visitors forced turnovers and chipped away at the lead, bringing the scores level again during the period.

Some timely baskets from Anthony Lamb helped the Breakers finish the half with a five-point lead.

That evaporated in the third quarter. Led by sharpshooter Chris Goulding and 2016 NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova, the NBL leaders continued to put the Breakers under pressure, holding them to just 18 points in the quarter.

Despite being without Shea Ili, one of the league’s best defensive players, and star big man Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, Melbourne made life hard for the Breakers attack and went into the final quarter with the scores level.

Melbourne built a six-point lead as Goulding and Luke Travers made a fast start to the fourth quarter, and the Breakers were left looking for answers. They found them in some big baskets from Lamb and point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, while Mangok Mathiang continued to work and provide his playmakers with a reliable option in the paint.

A Cheatham lay-up brought the hosts level again with less than three minutes remaining, and the sides traded baskets down the stretch.

Ultimately it came down to a 50-50 foul call on an inbound pass with just seconds left on the clock. Will McDowell-White got a piece of Dellavedova’s arm and the veteran guard did enough to convince the referee he was in the act of shooting.

Sinking the first shot to put his side ahead, Dellavedova missed the second on purpose, essentially giving the Breakers a three-second shot clock from the moment they grabbed the rebound.

But as Cheatham frantically gestured to the officials for the timeout, the buzzer sounded and the Breakers were brutally beaten.

NZ Breakers 81 (Anthony Lamb 22 points, Parker Jackson-Cartwright 21) Melbourne United 82 (Chris Goulding 24 points, Matthew Dellavedova 14)

1Q: 22-17. HT: 44-39. 3Q: 62-62