The Tall Blacks have been outdueled in their World Cup classification game against Mexico, going down 108-100 in Manila on Thursday.
New Zealand failed to qualify for the second round of the tournament but have been slated to play both Mexico and Egypt in a bid to win a spot in the Olympic qualifiers for Paris 2024.
Playing less than 24 hours after their heartbreaking defeat to Greece, the fatigue could be clearly seen in the Tall Blacks' lethargic start to the game, falling 14 points adrift at halftime as the hot Mexican shooters poured in 9/15 attempts from three-point range.
Led by captain Reuben Te Rangi and Finn Delany, the New Zealanders - facing a 19-point deficit - rallied heading into the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to just four. But they couldn't get their noses in front, as their opponents' scorching shooting (14/25 three-pointers) held them at bay.
The result takes New Zealand to just one win and three losses at the World Cup, putting their Olympic qualification hopes in grave danger. A win would have meant the Tall Blacks instantly advanced to the qualifiers as one of the top three ranked Oceania/Asia teams.
Te Rangi was the shining light for the Kiwis, catching fire from deep with 6/9 shooting from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 32 points, including three straight in the final quarter.
Delany added 19 points, including five three-pointers, while Shea Ili continued his superb play with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists, as well as five rebounds.
The Tall Blacks now face a must-win game against Egypt on Saturday to keep their Olympic ambitions alive.
"We've still got another game, and our focus on recovery is right now the next 12-14 hours, and also coaches are going into looking at the [Egypt] game," said coach Pero Cameron.
"We've got to put this game aside now and flush it.
"I just want to acknowledge that we may have been a little flat but Mexico played really well and shot the shit out of it,so hat's off to their coach and their group for hanging tough with it.
"We've got to move onto the next game. There's no easy games at the World Cup and we next play in a day and a half - so we must turn around and play better.
"We're still playing for something, we're playing for a bid at the qualifiers which is important for us."
Mexico 108 (Cruz 27 points & 5 assists, Jaimes 17 points & 11 rebounds) New Zealand 100 (Te Rangi 32 points, Delany 19 points, Ili 18 points & 10 assists)
