NZ Breakers have fallen to their second loss of the season, outclassed 99-77 by South East Melbourne Phoenix in Auckland on Thursday.
After building a three-game winning streak on the back of their defence, the Breakers were undone by the Phoenix's shooting display - with five players scoring in double figures.
Kyle Adnam (17 points), Alan Williams (16 points, nine rebounds), Mitch Creek (15 points), Trey Kell (13 points) and Zhou Qi (10 points) all had nights to remember for the Phoenix.
At the other end of the court, the Breakers failed to put up similar numbers, shooting at just 38 percent from the floor compared to the Phoenix's 62 percent.
For the Breakers, only Jarrell Brantley (17 points), Derek Pardon (16), and Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa (10) could score in double figures.
"You come into a game like this and there can be a few different scenarios," said head coach Mody Maor after the defeat.
"This is our third game in five days and we know our roster is short, all those excuses are kind of stacked in.
"But you don't know how it's going to play out and this was [the] worst case scenario. We weren't there from an intensity and competitive level, they made shots, it got away from us and we never really found a way back in.
"I can't fault my guys for trying, they never hang their heads and kept doing what they could, and we know we are better than this and will learn from this.
"We'll come back stronger in three days."
Defeat leaves the Breakers fourth on the NBL ladder after their first five matches, and head to Cairns to face the Taipans on Sunday.
