'PJ-MVP': Breakers superstar a board short of triple double

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"Generational" Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($405,200) was a rebound shy of a triple-double, silencing the normally raucous Adelaide Entertainment Centre, as his New Zealand Breakers outgunned the 36ers and six-time MVP Bryce Cotton ($473,900) 88-72 in Round 3 of NBL27 on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Jackson-Cartwright finished with 27 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, making 4-from-7 from three and 9-from-11 at the line to power the Breakers to 3-2.

"It's pretty awesome, honestly," former Adelaide 36ers shooting guard and now teammate Dejan Vasiljevic ($144,000) said. Vasiljevic was playing his first game back in Adelaide.

"Just the way he (PJC) plays the game, controls it at his tempo, the way he finds not just me but others in their positions.

"I think everyone plays so well off each other that he now has the ability to play one-on-one, and he's a very, very tough player to guard.

"We make his life easy, just as he makes ours.

"I said this in the pre-game: he's one of those once-in-a-lifetime, generational players that come to the NBL, like a Bryce and like a Kendric Davis ($436,000).

"I don't think he gets the recognition because he's over in New Zealand.

"If he was playing on any other team, all the media would be loving him. But just because he's across the Tasman, he doesn't get that recognition.

"He nearly had a triple-double tonight. If he's not proving a point, then I don't know what is. And to top it off, we're stacking wins, which matters the most."

Breakers head coach and FIBA Men's World Cup champion Gordon Herbert expertly deflected a question about whether PJC was now a legitimate MVP candidate.

"Oh, boy. You can ask DJ that question. That's not for me," Herbert said.

"We're just trying to play good team basketball. Obviously, he's got off to a great start, and he's playing really well.

"He's playing well at the defensive end, and he's rebounding his position too. I think take note of that."

The 36ers (2-3) lost for the second straight time and are still without injured centre Isaac Humphries ($265,300) and guards Flynn Cameron ($241,700) and Bul Kuol ($156,100). Humphries (knee) and Kuol (ACL) have no return date, and Cameron (ankle) is expected back in Round 5.

Cotton had 19 on 8-from-18, including 3-from-9 from three, with six assists and five turnovers, while import Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) led all scorers with 29 points and 16 rebounds on 14-from-22, but made one of his six free throws.

"I thought we were a little flat," 36ers head coach Trevor Gleeson said.

"I understand that we were travelling and all that kind of stuff, but I thought we were a little flat coming out. We didn't have the pop and the energy that we needed.

"Especially at home, we wanted to get the 10,000 fans up there rocking, but we didn't have any pop to get them rocking. Disappointed with that, and that's something we can work on.

"Parker Jackson-Cartwright, he's pretty good. He's smart. With 10 assists, he was moving the ball pretty well.

"They obviously shot 50% from the three, so it helps from that against our 20%.

"There's a big difference there when you're playing point: you move the ball, and players knock it down, to we move the ball and we don't make the shot.

"I thought it might have been a little bit better battle, but I think he got one over us tonight."

What you need to know

• The New Zealand Breakers beat the Adelaide 36ers 88-72 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Round 3 of NBL27, their first win in Adelaide since January 2023.
• Adelaide led by two in the second quarter and trailed only 60-57 at three-quarter time, before the Breakers won the last quarter 28-15 and led by as many as 19.
• Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($405,200) had 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds on 7-from-13, and Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) led Adelaide with 29 points and 16 rebounds on 14-from-22.
• The Breakers made 13 of 26 three-pointers and Adelaide six of 29, a 39-18 split from beyond the arc.
• Adelaide shot 6-from-19 in the fourth quarter, including 2-from-11 from three, and made six of 14 free throws for the game.

New Zealand Breakers

• Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($405,200) had 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, making 4-from-7 from three and 9-from-11 at the line.
• Mojave King scored 18 on 7-from-12, including 4-from-8 from three, in 20 minutes.
• Dejan Vasiljevic ($144,000) added 15 points on 5-from-10, including 3-from-5 from three.
• Sam Mennenga ($303,100) had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists on 6-from-11.
• Kouat Noi ($185,100) scored eight off the bench on 3-from-6, with two threes.
• Carlin Davison ($121,600) had five points, a rebound and a steal off the bench.
• Charles Bediako ($277,000) grabbed seven rebounds, five of them offensive, but scored one point on 0-from-4.
• The Breakers shot 30-from-64 from the field, 13-from-26 from three and 15-from-23 at the line, with 42 rebounds (12 offensive), 18 assists and 14 turnovers.

Adelaide 36ers

• Nick Rakocevic ($188,400) had 29 points and 16 rebounds on 14-from-22, but made one of his six free throws.
• Bryce Cotton ($473,900) scored 19 on 8-from-18, including 3-from-9 from three, with five assists and five turnovers.
• John Jenkins ($152,100) scored eight but made 2-from-13 from three.
• Zylan Cheatham ($339,500) had eight points and five assists, making both his shots from the field and 4-from-6 at the line.
• Keanu Rasmussen ($69,000) had two points and five assists in 20 minutes.
• Isaac White ($98,100) scored six off the bench on 2-from-6 in nine minutes, including a three in the final seconds.
• Matt Kenyon ($69,000) fouled out in 12 minutes off the bench, with an assist and a steal.
• Adelaide shot 30-from-68 from the field, 6-from-29 from three and 6-from-14 at the line, with 34 rebounds (10 offensive), 19 assists and nine turnovers.