The New Zealand Breakers will travel to Sydney for a sudden-death NBL play-in qualifier after a disastrous 76-70 defeat to the Adelaide 36ers in the last game of the regular season.
The Breakers could have climbed as high as fourth and earned a double chance for the play-in tournament with a road win on Sunday.
But they were unable to contain Sixers star Dejan Vasiljevic and slumped to a costly loss at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Australian Boomers guard Vasiljevic posted a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds, along with four assists, to help the second-from-bottom Sixers end their disjointed season on a high.
The result and margin left New Zealand (13-15) in sixth spot, below two-time reigning champions Sydney (13-15) on percentage.
It means the Breakers will have to do it the hard way on the road if they are to reach the championship series for a second straight season.
Making matters worse, coach Mody Maor will be without Will McDowell-White after he dislocated his left shoulder.
Finn Delany was ruled out before the Adelaide match after experiencing a tight back in the warm-up.
McDowell-White was one of only two New Zealand scorers in double figures against the Sixers, contributing 14 points alongside Parker Jackson-Cartwright's team-high 24.
Adelaide led throughout the second half but Jackson-Cartwright gave the Breakers a sniff of victory when his long-range three cut the deficit to three points in the final minute.
The visitors then felt harshly treated when Tom Abercrombie's attempted dunk rimmed out and no foul was called on the play.
Jackson-Cartwright fouled out moments later and the Sixers hung on in the desperate final stages.
"A lot of the stuff that is controllable for us we did really well," Maor said.
"We never gave up, kept competing, kept playing the right way and stayed in the game.
"We were one dunk that somehow doesn't get free throws and rolls out of the rim away from completing a very nice comeback.
"So I'll take a lot of the good stuff that this group has showed me during this season and this is what we're going to take into the post-season."
Isaac Humphries was influential for Adelaide with 15 points and six rebounds, while the Sixers combined for 20 offensive rebounds.
The result gave interim coach Scott Ninnis an 8-7 record since he took the reins from CJ Bruton, who was sacked in December, in a run that included wins in each of Adelaide's last five home games.
But the Sixers (12-16) fell one win and percentage short of a Finals berth.
"This is not where we want to be," Ninnis said.
"We want to be playing in finals and we gave ourselves a glimmer of hope there for a while and it wasn't to be.
"It's mixed emotions right now. It's a bit empty but I'm so proud of this playing group with the way that they stuck together when things were going pretty pear-shaped there for a while."
