JackJumpers thrash Breakers for fifth straight

The Tasmania JackJumpers were in control virtually from go to woe as they made it five straight NBL wins and gave the New Zealand Breakers a fifth consecutive loss opening Round 12 with the 100-76 road victory.

The Breakers were back in Auckland but playing at EventFinda Stadium on the city's North Shore looking to snap a four-game losing run, but the JackJumpers arrived fresh, healthy and having won four straight of their own.

Tasmania played with that confidence from the outset to open up an 11-4 opening to the contest and they remained in charge right the rest of the way to lead by as much as 26 on the way to the dominant 24-point victory.

It's five wins in-a-row for the JackJumpers as their title defence gathers momentum at 8-8 now on the back of shooting 53 per cent from the field and overcoming going 20/31 at the foul line with Will Magnay the main culprit with 4/12.

However, it was a true JackJumpers-like performance all over with 40 rebounds to 33, 11 offensive rebounds for 14 second chance points and 20 points from the 13 Breakers turnovers.

Jordon Crawford again came off the bench for just the second time in his career with 24 points and four assists with 22 of those in the first half while Sean Macdonald delivered 17 points on 4/6 three-point shooting.

Craig Sword also had 13 points and two rebounds, Milton Doyle 10 points and seven assists, and Will Magnay six points, eight assists, six rebounds and another block.

"A tremendous amount of credit goes to the players," said JackJumpers coach Scott Roth.

"I'm not a very good coach, I'm probably the 20th best coach in the NBL, but I've got the best coaching staff in the league.

"Their work habits to get these guys ready every night is a pleasure to work. And it goes back to the players believing in the system, believing in what we do, and you slowly reap the rewards. But we're a long way from being the finished product."

The Breakers have now slipped to 7-8 with five straight defeats and went 4/29 at 13 per cent from three-point range for the night.

There were some encouraging signs from Tacko Fall who started and played 18 minutes for 16 points and four rebounds with Matt Mooney adding 13 points, and Parker Jackson-Cartwright 11.

"Offensively, he's a mismatch and he generates a lot of open looks in offence when they collapse," Breakers coach Petteri Koponen said of Fall.

"We just need to knock down some shots. It's a confidence thing. When we get better and make some shots, basketball becomes easier after that. But the main issue right now is our defence."

After the delayed start to the game while the shot clocks were being fixed, Tasmania raced to the 11-4 opening including a couple of early three balls to Sean Macdonald.

Then just as a Max Darling three-point play brought New Zealand back within four, the JackJumpers pulled away before quarter-time with another 9-0 scoring run that included a triple from Anthony Drmic.

Only a Matt Mooney three on the buzzer kept New Zealand within 10 after one but then Tasmania opened up the second frame with the first five points to push that advantage back out to 17.

Tacko Fall had a purple patch for the Breakers with six straight points to bring the margin back to 11 but Tasmania responded with an alley-oop finish up the other end from Will Magnay with the set up from Milton Doyle.

Crawford then put up 14 points in a matter of minutes to go into half-time for the JackJumpers with 22 points and Tasmania in control leading 59-42.

Fall then didn’t start the second half for the Breakers as they went smaller to try and push the pace and they did score the first four points through Jonah Bolden and Mooney, but the JackJumpers continued to have all the answers.

Tasmania were still leading by 15 at three quarter-time and from there were never seriously threatened on the way to the eventual 24-point win to make it five straight with five consecutive losses for the Breakers.

New Zealand now heads to Adelaide straight away to take on the returning Montrezl Harrell and the 36ers on Saturday while the JackJumpers don't play again until Monday December 23 away to Melbourne United.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2024/25

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 76 (Fall 16, Mooney 13, Jackson-Cartwright 11)

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 100 (Crawford 24, Macdonald 17, Sword 13)

BOX SCORE