JackJumpers snap Breakers' winning streak

The Breakers (6-3) started well against the defending champions but struggled as the game wore on against a tenacious defensive effort, and were unable to get their shots to fall.

Jonah Bolden was ruled out of the game with a calf injury after just three minutes, forcing the visitors to switch up their rotation early.

Tasmania’s aggressive play saw them pull away in the second half, holding the Breakers to 39% shooting from the field.

Breakers co-captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright led the scoring effort with 15 points, nine assists and three steals in the face of full court pressure all game.

Sam Mennenga also showed resilience with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Karim Lopez added eight points and seven boards.

Co-captain Mitch McCarron made his return from a knee injury to take the court in his 250th NBL match.

While the Breakers’ bench contributed a solid 20 points, it wasn’t enough to counter Tasmania’s 49 bench points. 

The JackJumpers also capitalised on the visitors’ 19 turnovers to net 25 points off those mistakes.

Jordon Crawford led the way for the JackJumpers with 19 points, supported by a high-impact bench performance - Craig Sword and Majok Deng both scoring 18 points.

Head coach Petteri Koponen said the JackJumpers were able to play an aggressive style that stopped his side generating any flow.

“They’re a great team playing much better than where they are on the ladder,” he said.

“They make you play a different way and we had trouble getting to the rim. We couldn’t bring it today. 

“When they tried to take Parker out there’s an advantage somewhere else but we couldn’t find that today. We had 19 turnovers and they had 17 offensive rebounds so that’s basically the game right there.

“It’s not time to put our heads downs. We have to learn, get better and focus on the next game.”

The BNZ Breakers will look to shake off this result and prepare for the Cairns Taipans on the road next Saturday night at 7.30pm (NZT).