Adelaide’s march towards the NBL’s post-season has continued with a 16-point thrashing of New Zealand that officially ended the Breakers’ play-off hopes.
The 36ers were never troubled in a 94-78 victory at a sold-out Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Sunday.
Star import Montrezl Harrell had 26 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on his 31st birthday.
An early confrontation with Breakers forward Jonah Bolden ensured there was no complacency on a weekend when last-placed Cairns upset Illawarra and Perth.
The result means the Breakers (9-18) are unable to make the top six. The 36ers are now in outright sixth (13-13) and a win clear of seventh with three regular-season games remaining.
New Zealand arrived without star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright (ribs) and struggled to penetrate in attack, incredibly scoring exclusively from beyond the arc in the first quarter.
The Breakers missed four free-throws and five two-point attempts in a 27-15 first term, the lead swelling to 28 before they rallied in the final quarter.
The combustible Harrell was in everything, retaliating after being bumped to the floor by Bolden, then nursing a cut above the eye when the pair clashed again at the rim entering half time.
MVP candidate Kendric Davis (23 points, 13 assists) had his fingerprints all over the contest while fellow starters Lat Mayen (10 points on four-of-four shooting), Isaac Humphries (12 points) and Dejan Vasiljevic (11 points, four assists) had their moments.
Breakers guard Matt Mooney scored 19 points and had nine assists, but turned the ball over eight times before he fouled out in the final quarter.
Mojave King made five-of-eight triples for 20 points to lead the Breakers’ scoring.
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