The Sydney Kings have produced a fierce late assault to mow down the New Zealand Breakers 92-84 in their NBL clash in Auckland.
The Breakers looked like snapping their six-game losing streak when they led by five points inside the last three minutes at Spark Arena on Friday night, before the Kings stormed home, scoring 16 of the last 19 points.
Kouat Noi scored 26 points off the bench for Sydney, Alex Toohey compiled 21 and 11 rebounds, and import Jaylen Adams was influential down the stretch, finishing with 17 points, nine assists and eight boards.
Adams scored eight of Sydney's points during that late blast, while also coming up with a crucial steal when opposite number Parker Jackson-Cartwright fumbled an inbound pass with 23 seconds remaining.
"Who knows what's going to happen from here, but we have positioned ourselves nicely" Kings coach Brian Goorjian said after his third-placed team moved to 11-7 with their third straight victory.
"We've got a nice record, we're sitting in a nice spot.
"I like the way we're progressing."
Jackson-Cartwright had been superb until then with 25 points and eight assists for the Breakers, supported by 17-year-old Mexican Next Star Karim Lopez, who scored 18 before coming off midway through the fourth term with an ankle injury.
Toohey, tipped to be a first-round NBA draft pick, scored Sydney's first nine points as the visitors jumped ahead 9-4, before NZ responded with a 13-0 burst.
Lopez got the Breakers going, rejecting a Cam Oliver dunk, then producing a steal and lay-up.
Jackson-Cartwright and Jonah Bolden were both prolific as NZ held sway 19-15 at quarter-time.
Noi came in and poured in 15 second-term points to single-handedly keep the Kings in the hunt.
He banked a basket to level the scores at 42-all, before the Breakers finished the second frame strongly, moving ahead 51-44 when Jackson-Cartwright nailed an off-balance, fadeaway three-pointer over Adams on the half-time horn.
After NZ moved nine points clear, Xavier Cooks paced a 10-0 burst to give Sydney the lead, before the Breakers moved back in front when Jackson-Cartwright fed Max Darling for a three on the three-quarter-time buzzer.
Lopez started the fourth stanza with a strong three-point play, before Tacko Fall and Darling threw down powerful dunks to extend NZ's advantage before the home side grinded to a halt.
"We lost our poise," Breakers coach Petteri Koponen said.
"We stopped sharing the ball, we lost patience. Small details in the end.
"But we gave them a fight. That's why this one hurts."
