NZ Breakers have fallen to their 10th defeat of the Australian NBL regular season, beaten 78-76 by last-placed Illawarra Hawks in Auckland.
In the final seconds of Thursday's match-up, Illawarra's Tyler Harvey sank a stunning three-pointer from just inside the Breakers' half and sealed just his side's third victory of the season.
The winning moment capped a fine night for Harvey, who led the scoring with a game-high 25 points to snap the Hawks' 11-game losing run.
For the Breakers, Derek Pardon was admirable in defeat, posting 19 points and 17 rebounds for a double-double, while Jarrell Brantley (16 points) and Tom Abercombie (13) also stood out.
Worryingly, defeat sees the Breakers slip further away from second place on the ANBL ladder, with a top-two finish to guarantee an automatic semi-final spot.
The Kiwi side are third, three wins behind Cairns Taipans in second, and four back from leaders Sydney Kings.
Speaking post-match, Breakers coach Mody Maor acknowledged pressure to reach this year's playoffs is impacting his side's displays in recent weeks.
All up, the Breakers have just one win in their last five matches, and three wins in their last 10.
"We're obviously playing with a little bit of weight on our shoulders," Breakers coach Mody Maor said.
"We worked very hard to be in the position that we are with the record that we had, and when you have something you work really hard and you cherish, you're a little bit scared to lose it sometimes.
"That playoff spot for us is extremely precious, it was our main goal when we started the season and we're playing with a little bit of added weight and pressure in these games."
The Breakers' schedule won't get any easier either, with their next assignment coming against the table-topping Kings on Sunday.
