Without two of their biggest distractions, the NZ Breakers have produced perhaps their best all-round performance of the season ANBL to topple the Brisbane Bullets 96-85 in Auckland.
Locked 47-47 at halftime, the home side produced a strong second-half effort to notch up their fourth win and stay within shouting distance of a playoff spot.
To achieve that, they will have to continue beating teams like the Bullets, who sit just above them on the competition ladder - one of three teams with six wins.
On a day when American import Glen Rice Jnr had his contract torn up after violating bail conditions on his previous assault charge, the Breakers were also without teenage wiz kid RJ Hampton, sidelined by a back/hip injury.
But basketball director Dan Shamir welcomed back Tall Blacks sharpshooter Corey Webster and American Scotty Hopson from injury, and that was more than enough to carry their team to victory.
"Obviously, every win for us is huge," said Shamir. "We've been through a lot and this game, we came in with a lot of things [happening] around the team.
"But the main thing is both Corey and 'Hop' did not practice for a significant amount of time. Corey did very well, everybody blended in, put in a lot of effort and survived their comeback."
With Rice and Hampton missing from the line-up that faced Cairns three days earlier, Shamir introduced his eighth different starting five of the campaign, an indication of how disrupted and disjointed the Breakers have been so far.
After more than a month recovering from a knee complaint, Hopson showed early rust, gathering just two free throws over the first half and starting the second on the bench, but finished strongly with 14 points.
Webster took up where he left off before tweaking an ankle two weeks ago, dropping 23 points off the bench.
"It was just a matter of staying confident, trying not to do too much and just ease my way into the game," said Webster afterwards. "It's easier when you hit your first couple of shots and the basket looks a bit bigger.
"I think we played a great team game. Watching the Cairns game on TV, I thought we didn't play as a team and we wanted to make that a focus, now that we have most of our guys back - guys that are good at playing with each other and know each other well."
NZ international Finn Delany continued to find his feet, after missing the first two months through injury, adding 14 points, eight rebounds and plenty of energy, but no-one epitomised the Breakers' newfound chemistry better than captain Tom Abercrombie.
Held scoreless against the Taipans, where Rice dominated the offence, the skipper found his mojo, scoring 19 points that included three three-pointers and a faultless 6/6 from the free-throw line.
"We're guys who have been at this club for a while and are proud of what it means to be a Breaker, so we sensed the importance of coming out and playing well tonight," Abercrombie said.
Observed Shamir: "We had a different team. In terms of roster, today was probably the closest we've been to having everybody.
"Everybody - the players and staff - worked together to be in this situation and when everybody's together, we should have that, playing together at both ends of the floor."
As a team, they shot 51 percent from the field and 42 percent from the arc, and shared the ball efficiently with 15 assists.
The Breakers also benefited from 32 visits to the free-throw line, compared to their rivals' 19, but struggled to keep the Brisbane forwards off the boards, conceding 16 offensive rebounds.
With starting centre Rob Loe and American Brandon Ashley both striking foul problems, the hosts were forced to play undersized at times, but survived off the back of Delany's hustle.
With so many changes in the Auckland club over the past 18 months, the performance came against a team that featured many of the architects of past Breakers glory, with Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis, assistant CJ Bruton, and players Mike Vukona and Reuben Te Rangi all featuring in their championship era.
American Lamar Patterson led all scorers with 36 points, but often seemed like a one-man band on a Brisbane roster that should probably sit higher on the table.
Meanwhile, the Breakers will be sweating on Hampton's injury, which may yet end his stay in the Aussie league. Since he and fellow NBA prospect LaMelo Ball ventured 'downunder' to boost their draft stocks, doubts have lingered that they will see out the season with their bottom-of-the-table clubs.
Ball is expected to miss four weeks with a foot injury, Hampton's back/hip has troublesome potential - just ask Webster, who has struggled through a similar affliction in recent seasons - and their injuries will only fuel speculation over their short-term futures.
"I don't have answers yet," admitted Shamir. "He's going to be scanned and medical staff will probably give us answers later this week.
If Hampton is missing for an extended period, the Breakers roster can adequately cover his absence at point guard with American Sek Henry, Aussie back-up Jarrad Weeks and Webster.
They host Adelaide 36ers - another team just ahead of them on the ladder - at Spark Arena on Sunday.
