It’s all locked up as NZ Breakers topple Sydney Kings to level NBL grand final series

At Spark Arena, Auckland: NBL grand final, game 4: NZ Breakers 80 (Jarrell Brantley 23, Barry Brown Jr 20, Will McDowell-White 19), Sydney Kings 70 (Derrick Walton Jr 18, Angus Glover 12, Xavier Cooks 10). 1Q: 18-12; HT: 39-27; 3Q: 54-52. Series is tied 2-2.

They turned up in record numbers, and the Breakers faithful were rewarded with a finals series performance for the ages from their side that sends this NBL championship series to a deciding fifth game in Sydney on Wednesday.

The Breakers, trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series, needed something special to keep this grand final matchup alive, and they got it from their imports Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr, and from slick Aussie point guard Will McDowell-White, to send the biggest crowd (9728) ever to witness a hoops game in New Zealand home with smiles on their dials after an 80-70 victory that ties this captivating series at 2-2.

After thumping the Breakers 91-68 in game three in Sydney on Friday night, the Kings crossed the Tasman fancying their chances of closing this out on Kiwi soil. Instead they met a Breakers outfit that would not be denied as they rode home behind significant performances from their three best offensive players.

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Brantley was magnificent for the Breakers, the muscular power forward putting his team on his back and keeping them in the contest as he finished with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting (2 of 5 from deep), along with 5 rebounds.

Brown, the Breakers prince of swag, also did his thing, bringing the intensity off the bench to pitch in with 20 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including a pair of triples, to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. His breakaway dunk with 3:50 left that put the Breakers out by 11 (71-60) nearly lifted the roof on the downtown Auckland arena.

Chief playmaker Will McDowell-White was no less important, chipping in a valuable 19 points (at an 8-of-12 clip), 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He knocked down 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and his coolness ont he ball was a big part of this result.

A word too on Breakers skipper Tom Abercrombie who managed just 4 points, but was a defensive standout with 4 rebounds and 6 steals. This did not get done without his efforts either.

Derrick Walton Jr paced the Kings with 18 points, 3 boards and 4 assists, Angus Glover added 12 (4 of 5 from deep) and the NBA-bound Xavier Cooks added 10 points and 5 rebounds.

The Breakers led 18-12 after an edgy opening quarter in which neither team really found a rhythm, but the home side shot better (6 of 18 against 3 of 11) and had an 8-0 edge in second-chance points via five offensive boards.

But the Breakers dialled up the intensity in the second period, got the big crowd involved and rolled out to lead by as many as 15 and by 12 (39-27) at the major break. They had a lot to thank Brantley for there, as he poured in 11 of his 13 first-half points in the period, and also drew a third foul on Sydney star Xavier Cooks.

There were good signs for the Kiwi club as they forced eight Kings turnovers for the half, edged points off giveaways 11-2 and harried the visitors into a 10-of-29 shooting half (34.5%) and just two made triples. The Breakers were 14of 35 from the floor (40%) and 4 of 18 from deep.

The Kiwi club started the third term strongly, behind five quick points from Brantley, and kept their lead round the double-figure mark until the midway point. But the Kings made their run over the back part, with Angus Glover knocking down two quick triples to key a strong finish that got them within a bucket (54-52) at the final break.

The home started the final period brightly, with McDowell-White converting a triple and Brantley a score inside to get them out by seven early.. The difference hit double-digits on Brown’s slam, and from there it was a hill too steep even for the Kings. Game five is in Sydney on Wednesday night.