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Steve Bell/Getty Images
Milton Doyle led the Jackjumpers to a series-levelling victory over the NZ Breakers at MyState Bank Arena.
At MyState Bank Arena: Tasmania JackJumpers 89 (Milton Doyle 23. Jack McVeigh 16, Matt Kenyon 11), NZ Breakers 78 (Barry Brown Jr 19, Jarrell Brantley 17, Dererk Pardon 15). 1Q: 18-14; HT: 42-42; 3Q: 64-60. Semifinal series level 1-1.
The Hobart hoodoo struck again on Thursday night in Tasmania as the New Zealand Breakers blinked when the lights were brightest and were forced into a game 3 NBL semifinal decider back in Auckland on Sunday
Mody Maor’s Breakers blew their chance to advance to a first grand final since 2016 at MyState Bank Arena as they went down 89-78 to the scrappy, never-say-die JackJumpers who harried the visitors into a messy, muddled display to level the series at a game apiece..
It was the Breakers 11th defeat in their last dozen games at the venue and their fifth on the bounce against the JackJumpers there.
The undermanned Tasmanians, missing star point guard Josh Magette to a facial injury, out-Breakered the Breakers as they muscled up on D, took their opponents out of their rhythm and rode home on the back of a superstar offensive display from shooting guard Milton Doyle.
The Breakers never found a rhythm in the contest as they were out-hustled, out-muscled and flat out outplayed by last year’s beaten grand finalists in a display that mirrored their comeback from 0-1 down last year in the equivalent series against Melbourne United.
All-NBL first-teamer Doyle was superb for the home side, racking up a game-high 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting to go with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a trio of steals. He simply willed his team over the line with a dominant offensive display against a Breakers defence that had no answer to his firepower.
Jack McVeigh lived up to his “McTrey” moniker to sink a trio of triples in his crucial 16 points (on 5-of-8 shooting).
The Breakers got solid offence out of their import trio of Barry Brown (19 points), Jarrell Brantley (17 points, 9 boards) and Dererk Pardon (15 points, 11 rebounds), but 16 turnovers and a 44% shooting effort cost the visitors dearly.
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