Statement Performance: Beating Wildcats in Perth for first time since 2021

The New Zealand Breakers have stifled a frustrated Bryce Cotton to stave off Perth and shake-up the finals picture with a road win in the last game before the penultimate round.

New Zealand stuttered in the second half but did enough to prevail 89-78 on Sunday, with runaway MVP favourite Cotton kept to just 13 points on three-of-14 shooting.

The visitors won every quarter, with their only sore spot an early injury to star import Anthony Lamb, who played less than nine minutes due to a lower leg ailment.

He returned to the bench and looked hopeful of a return before being put on ice before halftime.

The victory was just the Breakers' second in their past 13 games against the Wildcats and their first at RAC Arena in three years.

And it had major ramifications on the ladder, with Perth still yet to lock up a top-two spot and direct entry to the playoffs and the Breakers firmly in the frame for the play-in tournament.

They improved to 11-13, still one win behind fifth and sixth-placed Sydney and Brisbane (12-14), but with two games in hand.

New Zealand will face the Bullets in their first game of the final round in a match that could decide who sneaks into the top-six and earns a play-in spot.

The Wildcats' loss also keeps the Tasmania JackJumpers in the hunt for a top-two berth that would mean they avoid the play-in tournament at Perth's expense, although the Wildcats would need to lose their three remaining games.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright (19 points, five assists, four rebounds) did the early damage for the Breakers, who led by as many as 19 points.

Zylan Cheatham (24 points, eight rebounds) then carried on his work as a visibly irritated Cotton battled, taking seven shots before finally making a field goal in the third quarter.

Perth eventually surged, with a nine-point run late in the third quarter bringing the margin back to six.

It remained close to begin the final quarter before two moments of strength from Mangok Mathiang swayed the contest again.

First, the Breakers forward grabbed a tough rebound from a missed Perth free-throw, shook both Keanu Pinder (21 points, 15 rebounds) and Jesse Wagstaff to the floor, and took the ball up to assist a Izayah Le'afa triple.

He then drove to the basket for a tough left-handed lay-up and the lead was back to eight points with two minutes to play.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 18

PERTH WILDCATS 78 (Pinder 21, Cotton 13, Wagstaff 13)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 89 (Cheatham 24, Jackson-Cartwright 19, Mathiang 11)

BOX SCORE