Undermanned NZ Breakers continue to struggle for wins in the new Aussie NBL season, defeated 87-85 by two-time defending champions Sydney Kings in a rematch of the previous grand finalists.
In March, the Auckland-based club took the Kings to a deciding fifth game in their championship series - their best performance in the league, since losing to Perth Wildcats in the 2016 final.
Playing an American import short, with power forward Zylan Cheatham sidelined by injury, the Breakers have shown plenty of heart, but have struggled to convert that into wins.
Back at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, they fell behind early and trailled by as many as 14 points in the dying seconds of the second quarter, but confounded the league's leading offensive team with a zone defence after the break to whittle away at the deficit.
The Breakers took the second half 41-32, as they rode a strong bench effort - powered by American forward Anthony Lamb - that saw their reserves outscore their counterparts 46-30 and inside scoring that shaded the Kings 42-30 around the basket.
They took their first lead since the opening quarter at 78-77 with 6m 37s remaining, when American guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright hit a three-pointer and then extended the advantage to three with a pair of free throws seconds later.
He restored that margin with another three-pointer at 85-82 with 2m 42s left and lead into the final minute, until Kings sniper Shaun Bruce connected from the arc.
With the Breakers trailling by two, Lamb missed a free throw and deliberately missed the second, but was unable to convert the offensive rebound into much-needed points. They earned a reprieve, when Bruce slipped out of bounds in his backcourt with 13.5 seconds left, but Bruce made up for his error with tight defence on Jackson-Cartwright on the buzzer.
Lamb led all scorers with 29 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Parker-Cartwright juggled foul trouble, as he accumulated 18 points.
The Breakers now face a long-distance road trip to Perth to face the Wildcats on Friday.
Sydney Kings 87 (Hogg 18, Adams 12, Valentine & Bruce 11) NZ Breakers 85 (Lamb 29, Parker-Cartwright 18, McDowell-White 11, Delany 10)
