The NZ Breakers' playoff hopes may have been dealt a significant blow - by a leaky WIN Entertainment Centre roof.
With the Breakers leading 65-52 towards the end of the third quarter in their must-win game against the Illawarra Hawks, play was halted by water on the court, caused by a combination of a leak and heavy rain.
After a 20-minute break to get the issue under control, the Australian NBL ultimately made the call to abandon the game in the interests of player welfare.
They'll review the situation in the next 24 hours to determine a result and anything less than full points could be a significant blow to the fifth-placed Breakers' chances of cracking the top four.
Breakers owner Matt Walsh spoke to the ANBL's general manager, who confirmed they'd either replay the game, play the game from the point it was abandoned, leave the score as it stands or calculate what they were on pace to win by.
"I'm confident the league will come to the right decision," Walsh told Newshub.
"What is scary from our perspective is there's a scenario where we end up tied for fourth place and depending on their reaction, it could mean that we miss out based on points differential.
"I hope it doesn't go down that path, but we'll be prepared for everything if that is the case."
But Walsh doesn't foresee any situation where they'll either replay or continue the aborted fixture, and the team will return home as scheduled to prepare for their blockbuster clash with the Bullets in Brisbane on Friday.
He believes the correct call was made by the officials to abandon play.
"The league 100 precent made the right decision in terms of cancelling the game. Apparently, the rain was not going to stop.
"It was a substantial leak and I don't want one of our guys or their guys to get hurt... I just hope they make the right decision from here, but I've never seen anything like it."
The Breakers will be awarded the points for the win, while the ANBL makes its final decision.
The visitors were led by Sek Henry (17 points) and Finn Delany (16), with Scotty Hopson contributing 12 points and nine assists.
