R17 Preview: Sky Sport Breakers vs Brisbane Bullets

WHO: NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS vs BRISBANE BULLETS 
WHEN: Thursday 24th March 2022, 9:30PM NZDT
WHERE: Cairns Convention Centre
BROADCAST: Sky Sport 3

This is the 100^th game to be played this season in the 140 game regular season.

The Breakers first ever ‘home’ game in Queensland. This game breaks a streak of 328 games played at the Cairns Convention Centre where the Taipans were the home team. The last time another team was the home team was actually the first ever game played back in October 1999 – the first game of a opening night double-header – when the Townsville Crocodiles were the home team in a 123-81 thrashing of the Perth Wildcats.  

All time meetings 39 played Breakers won 18 Bullets won 21. Since the Bullets re-entered the NBL, these teams have played 23 times for 15 wins by New Zealand and 8 to Brisbane. 

In those 23 games over the past six seasons, Brisbane have never beaten New Zealand in consecutive matches. (last time was Feb 2008) 

Dan Shamir’s seven career wins against Brisbane is his most against any NBL club.  

Previous meetings:
Round 6 – Breakers 88 def Bullets 83 at Nissan Arena
Round 14 – Bullets 92 def Breakers at My State Bank Arena, Hobart 

New Zealand’s win in Brisbane was their first of the season after a 0-6 start to NBL22. The star was Yanni Wetzell who posted a new career high 27-points 

In the return meeting in Hobart, it was Jason Cadee that was the difference. He scored 12-points in the third term which matches the Breakers as a team.  

The Bullets shot a season best 55.9% from the field despite having a season high 21 turnovers.  

Brisbane’s 18-point win over New Zealand remains their biggest win of the season and 25 assists is also a Bullets season high. 

The last time these teams met, the Breakers were missing Yanni Wetzell, Hugo Besson and William McDowell-White.

Chasson Randle scored a season high 20-points last time vs Bullets but has since struggled. In his last two games against Perth he has not scored but had 8 fouls in just 11:23 combined playing time. (0/2FG)
Randle leads the Breakers in average fouls per game this season at 3.7 which is equal first in NBL with Brandon Ashley. 

Brisbane have averaged 20.5 turnovers per game vs the Breakers – their worst average against any team but have shot 51% against the Breakers – their best against any team.  

It must be a concern for the Brisbane coaching staff that they have started so poorly the last two games but fight back so hard. 

In round 15, they scored 17 in the first against Perth, had 30 in the second and then 8 in the third and 28 in the last.
On Sunday at home they had 12 in the first, a record 33-points in the second and then an even 43-44 with Cairns after half time.  

In their first 19 games of the season, Brisbane had a total of five players foul out of a game but last Sunday they had four in one game in Cadee, Franks, Patterson and Drmic.
31 team fouls by the Bullets last week was the highest by any team this season. 

Over the past three rounds, Brisbane have been far and away the highest fouling team in the NBL with the Breakers second. 

Fouls rounds 14-16:
1st 25.0 Brisbane Bullets
2^nd 20.6 New Zealand Breakers
3^rd 20.0 Sydney Kings
4^th 18.4 SEM Phoenix  

To put that number into context, no team in the 40-minute era has averaged 25 fouls per game over a season. Brisbane lead the NBL in both turnovers and fouls. 

For the fourth season in a row, New Zealand are leading the NBL in three-point attempts differential. They took 35 more threes than Perth in their last two games and are currently 116 more than their opponents over the whole season. 

The Bullets have more slow starts than any other team this season and have found themselves behind by double figures at quarter time a League high five times.
Last Sunday the Bullets were behind 12-32 to the Taipans at the end of the first quarter. 

Times down by double figures at quarter time:
5 – Brisbane Bullets
4 – Adelaide 36ers
4 – Melbourne United
4 – South East Melb. Phoenix
4 – Perth Wildcats
3 – Illawarra Hawks
3 – Cairns Taipans
3 – New Zealand Breakers
1 – Sydney Kings
0 – Tasmania JackJumpers 

New Zealand’s biggest quarter time lead of any game was the last time they played in Cairns when they led 30-12 and by 55-35 at half time against the Taipans but ended up lucky to win the game by just 1-point.

The Breakers have led by 10+-pts five times in NBL22 but won just 3 of those games. However in all games they are behind by more that 7-points, they have lost each time. 

Times led by double figures at quarter time:
5 – New Zealand Breakers
5 - Cairns Taipans
4 – Sydney Kings
4 – Melbourne United
4 – Sth East Melb. Phoenix
3 – Brisbane Bullets
2 – Illawarra Hawks
2 – Tasmania JackJumpers
1 – Perth Wildcats
1 – Adelaide 36ers 

The Bullets are the most unpredictable team according to the stats. Of the five best games they dominated in the first quarters, they have been outscored in the remaining periods by 51-points and won two of those matches.
In the four games they have suffered the heaviest losses in quarter one, they have outscored their opponents by a total of 52-points over the remaining quarters. 

It is no wonder that Brisbane, on average, are involved in more lead changes per game than any other team this season.

Average lead changes per game:
8.8 - Brisbane Bullets
7.8 – Perth Wildcats
7.0 – Melbourne United
6.9 – NBL League average
6.9 – Illawarra Hawks
6.8 – South East Melb. Phoenix
6.8 – Tasmania JackJumpers
6.8 – Sydney Kings
6.0 – Adelaide 36ers
6.0 – Cairns Taipans
6.0 – New Zealand Breakers 

Brisbane played the bottom of the ladder Cairns Taipans at home last Sunday and face up against the Breakers who have fallen back to be the current bottom of the ladder team. 

The Breakers have a great opportunity this weekend to climb the ladder if they can record consecutive wins for the first time this season. New Zealand have been in the bottom two spots on the ladder at the end of every round so far. 

Current ladder at the end of round 16:
7^th Brisbane played 20 won 7 lost 13 (35.0%)
8^th Adelaide played 19 won 6 lost 13 (31.6%)
9^th Cairns played 18 won 5 lost 13 (27.8%)
10^th New Zealand played 20 won 5 lost 15 (25.0%) 

If New Zealand beat Brisbane and then Cairns on Sunday,
Taipans lose to Phoenix on Saturday,
Bullets lose to JackJumpers on Saturday,
& 36ers lose to Phoenix on Sunday, it would all fall in place for the Breakers 

The ladder at the end of round 17 would see the Breakers equal with the Bullets in seventh place, but most likely still below them on points percentage differential

7^th Brisbane played 22 won 7 lost 15 (31.8%)
8^th New Zealand played 22 won 7 lost 15 (31.8%)
9^th Adelaide played 20 won 6 lost 13 (30%)
10^th Cairns played 20 won 5 lost 13 (25%) 

This is the New Zealand Breakers 50^th NBL game in Australia since the start of last season. They played 29 games in Australia last season before returning home for the last seven games (one-off 36 game season) and this will be their 21^st game in Australia in NBL22.  

New Zealand Breakers Last 5 games and remaining schedule:
Round 14: Saturday 5^th March away to Jack Jumpers (Launceston) (Lost 62-66)
Round 14: Monday 7^th March home vs Bullets (Hobart) (Lost 74-92)
Round 15: Saturday 12^th March home vs 36ers (Adelaide)(Won 84-75)
Round 15: Monday 14^th March home vs Wildcats (Hobart) (Lost 102-104)
Round 16: Sunday 20^th March away to Wildcats (Lost 85-95)
Round 17: Thursday 24^th March home vs Bullets (Cairns)
Round 17: Sunday 27^th March home vs Taipans (Cairns)
Round 18: Monday 4^th April home vs Taipans (Hobart)
Round 19: Thursday 7^th April away to Wildcats
Round 19: Sunday 10^th April home vs Phoenix (Bendigo)
Round 19: Tuesday 12^th April home vs Kings (Bendigo)
Round 20: Friday 15^th April home vs JackJumpers (Hobart)
Round 21: Sunday 24^th April home vs 36ers (Hobart) 

Brisbane Bullets Last 5 games and remaining schedule:
Round 13: Saturday 26^th February home vs Jack Jumpers (Won 94-86)
Round 14: Saturday 5^th March away to United (Lost 83-95)
Round 14: Monday 7^th March away to Breakers (Hobart) (Won 92-74)
Round 15: Saturday 12^th March home vs Wildcats (Lost 83-95)
Round 16: Sunday 20^th March home vs Taipans (Lost 88-98)
Round 17: Thursday 24^th March away to Breakers (at Cairns)
Round 17: Saturday 26^th March at home vs JackJumpers
Round 18: Thursday 31^st March away to Hawks
Round 18: Sunday 3^rd April home vs 36ers
Round 19: Saturday 9^th April home vs Hawks
Round 19: Monday 11^th April away vs Bullets
Round 20: Saturday 16^th April away vs United
Round 21: Saturday 23^rd April away vs Taipans