Some new and returning faces have helped the New Zealand Breakers blow Cairns away in the third quarter to start the new NBL season with a 98-87 home victory.
The Breakers hosted the Taipans on Saturday evening at Spark Arena in Auckland with the shorthanded Snakes starting well, up by as many as seven points in the first half.
But New Zealand managed to lead at halftime by three, then shot the lights out in the third quarter with 31 points to 18 to end up winning by 11 to celebrate the 400th game of captain Tom Abercrombie.
Already a four-time championship winner, Abercrombie became the Breakers' first player to reach 400 games.
They were missing Will McDowell-White, but new import point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright thrived in his absence with 25 points, eight assists and six steals.
The returning Finn Delany hit 4-of-7 from downtown for 18 points with Justin Jessup (15 points), Mangok Mathiang (11 points, five rebounds, two blocks) and Zylan Cheatham (11 points, three boards) also important.
Breakers coach Mody Maor was pleased to get the first up win, but far from content.
"We didn't play very well," he said.
"We competed at the appropriate level for stretches and one stretch in the third quarter when we played how we want to play, and that kind of broke the game open. But on the whole, we were OK."
Sam Mennenga was impressive in his NBL debut for Cairns, back his hometown with 17 points and four rebounds after his US college career was cut short.
Fellow Kiwi Sam Waardenburg had 12 points with Patrick Miller contributing 15 points and six assists, Lat Mayen 11 points and six boards, and Jonah Antonio hit 3-of-5 from three-point range for nine points.
Taipans coach Adam Forde actually felt the final margin didn't tell the full story.
"I think the scoreline flatters us a little bit," Forde said.
"It felt like New Zealand did a great job capitalising on the turnovers, we coughed them up and I felt like everything resulted in two points for them."
Abercrombie made the perfect start when he caught the on-point pass from Jackson-Cartwright to rise for a trademark throwdown, but it was the Snakes who had the better of the early going.
Despite the absence of import pair Tahjere McCall and Josh Roberts, and young point guard Taran Armstrong, by midway in the second period when Waardenburg hit a three ball Cairns had opened up a seven-point edge.
It was new Breakers import duo Jackson-Cartwright and Cheatham who led their team back, and a triple on the halftime buzzer from the former gave New Zealand the 46-43 edge.
The hosts blew the game wide open in the third quarter hitting six three-pointers, including a couple each to Delany and Jessup to open up an 18-point lead.
