NZ Breakers have fallen to a sixth defeat in their past seven matches, beaten 94-76 by rivals Perth Wildcats on Friday.
The loss is the Breakers' sixth of the season after only losing 10 games in the entirety of last season.
A dominant display from Bryce Cotton (37 points) and Keanu Pinder (21) left the Breakers with no answer, as the Kiwi outfit languish second-from-bottom on the ANBL ladder.
Former Breaker Tai Webster also added eight points, six rebounds and three assists against his old club.
For the Breakers, Anthony Lamb led the way with 25 points, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright added 20 of his own to go with a double-double to Mangok Mathiang (11 points, 14 rebounds).
However, the Breakers' support players failed to have the same impact as their opposites, as Perth ran away for their fifth win of the season to sit fifth on the ladder after their first 10 games.
For the Breakers, another defeat is a worrying sign for the side that came within one game of winning the 2022/23 title earlier this year.
After eight games, the Breakers have won just two and sit ninth on the ladder, ahead of only Illawarra Hawks courtesy of points differential.
"It wasn't a good game from us, we didn't compete the right way," said coach Mody Maor. "Nothing in basketball works when you don't play with the appropriate effort.
"When your whole team doesn't play with the appropriate intensity from the jump, the responsibility sits solely on the shoulders of the head coach.
"So the only thing that this is attributed to is my leadership. We need to be better and the responsibility is on me."
The Breakers' Australian road trip concludes with a trip to face Tasmania JackJumpers on Thursday, before returning to New Zealand to face Illawarra Hawks on November 19.
NZ Breakers 76 (Lamb 25, Jackson-Cartwright 20)
Perth Wildcats 94 (Cotton 37, Pinder 21)
