Sydney have consolidated fourth spot on the NBL ladder with their third straight win, scraping out a hard-fought 79-72 victory over New Zealand.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Kings trailed at every change and were unconvincing for long patches before finishing strongly with a 27-18 final quarter at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.
Xavier Cooks posted 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Kendric Davis paired 21 points with six assists.
Breakers point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright had 23 points and seven assists, while big Sam Mennenga scored 15 points.
"It wasn't pretty," Kings coach Brian Goorjian said.
"Over my time, we haven't won ugly.
"A lot of times when we're ugly we lose, so it was nice to get the win."
Sydney edged in front 72-70 inside the last two minutes before suffocating NZ down the stretch.
Cooks' dunk made it 74-70, before Mennenga replied by bobbling in a tough deuce to make it 74-72.
Davis hit three free throws in the last 20 seconds, Izayah Le'Afa missed a late three, and Mennenga committed an over-and-back turnover with 3.7 seconds left, the error-riddled visitors' 21st for the game.
Sydney were way off target early, hitting just 4-of-18 from the field in the opening term to NZ's 11-of-19 as the Breakers held sway 25-17.
The visitors' advantage grew to 30-17 early in the second before the hosts fought back, drawing level at 37 on Davis's pull-up three.
Jackson-Cartwright responded with a stepback triple of his own, helping NZ to a 41-39 halftime edge before commanding the third stanza.
The diminutive Breaker peeled off his side's first seven points of the term and the last two from the free-throw-line with 1.4 seconds remaining to make it 54-52, after he picked Cooks' pocket - the profligate Kings' eighth turnover for the quarter.
Sydney's Bul Koul exited the game with his fifth foul midway through the fourth - and was fortunate to not receive a technical for dissent.
But even without their defensive enforcer, the Kings were able to make their match-defining charge in the dying minutes.
"It's been a theme this season," NZ coach Petteri Koponen said.
"When you play on the road against a good team ... you have to be more poised. And we weren't.
"You just can't have unforced turnovers on the road if you want to beat these teams."
Australian Associated Press
