Big-time Bryce breaks Kiwi hearts in New Zealand

• All 165 games of the NBL27 season in one list
• Every NBL27 roster, squad list and projected depth chart
• Every injured NBL player, with expected return dates
• Hammer Time: Who is leading the league in dunks

Another vintage Bryce Cotton performance has helped the Adelaide 36ers escape New Zealand with a 108-101 win after the six-time MVP scored 13 final quarter points to stave off a Breakers fightback at Spark Arena in Auckland.

The 36ers were dominant int he first half and went into the major break with a 12-point lead but costly turnovers, some defensive lapses and more red-hot form from big man Sam Mennenga allowed the Breakers to climb back into the game in front of their home fans.

But back-to-back threes from Cotton in the fourth quarter, along with 21 points from John Jenkins, and another clutch triple from young gun Keanu Rasmussen closed the deal for Adelaide who have won three of their past four road games, including victories over Tasmania and Sydney.

"It was really good for us to come out aggressive in that first quarter. I thought that could really put the tempo of the game out there, had a little bit of runs in the third quarter, the Breakers were going to fight back without a question," 36ers head coach Trevor Gleeson said in his post-game press conference.

"They got a little bit hot and we struggled a little bit offensively getting into some rhythm but then we found it again in the fourth, especially the last five minutes.

"I think it was tied up, last couple of minutes and then we got some great quality looks, Bryce was open, Keanu was open, and then we sealed it on the foul line"

Gleeson praised the efforts of Rasmussen, who has stepped up in the absence of Flynn Cameron.

"I didn't know him from a bar of soap when I first got here," he said.

"He worked hard in preseason and just Flynn getting injured in the third quarter of the first game opened an opportunity and he really grabbed it with both hands.

"He's picking up some of the best players in the league and then making big shots down the end. So, he's got great confidence, the guys have got a lot of confidence in him, he's doing a great job for us."

A key factor in Adelaide's win was the defensive job they did on Breakers star point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, keeping him to just nine points off 5-from-11 shooting.

"I think (Matt Kenyon's) one of the best defenders in the league, so it gives a little bit of height on him and I thought the big guys did a great job too in not letting him come downhill and using his speed because he's lethal when he does that," Gleeson said.

"We've been doing a good job and then we let up some easy points and we just got to keep working in that to make sure we're a championship defending team."

Cotton finished with 31 points for Adelaide while Nick Rakocevic had 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists and fellow big man Zylan Cheatham had 17 points himself.

Mennenga led the way for the Breakers with 28 points and was supported by Carlin Davison with 16 points, 11 assists and five rebounds but that didn't please coach Gordon Herbert, who called the performance "pathetic" from his team.

"I was really disappointed with our effort. The first half, it was pathetic. It's probably the most pathetic 20 minutes we've played this season. No fight, no will, no energy, no togetherness. Absolutely pathetic," he said in the post-game press conference.

"Couldn't play some guys the second half because of it. Never had a team come out like that in the first 20 minutes and play like that basketball. It's one thing to miss shots, but not to give effort, not to compete, lose every battle.

"It was ridiculous."

The game wasn't without controversy with Gleeson give another technical foul, which he said he was "bamboozled" by.

"I'm bamboozled number one and I got the technical foul for using my arms. Not anything, I didn't swear, I didn't go mad at the official or be disrespectful. Using my arms.

"If you're going to take the passion away from the game, I'm going to get a technical foul every week. That's just ridiculous, and then you got coaches, assistant coaches walking on the court and there's no technical foul. But I put my hands up and I get a technical foul."

‍