Watch: LaMelo Ball’s put-back dunk not enough to stop RJ Hampton
Breakers superstar RJ Hampton scored bragging rights over his fellow future NBA star LaMelo Ball - but it was the Illawarra Hawks ace who earned the highlight of the match. WATCH HERE.
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The New Zealand Breakers have scored their first win of the NBL season with a 103-72 victory over the Illawarra Hawks in Auckland.
After starting 0-2, the Breakers were in desperate need of a triumph and they achieved that goal on the back of an improved shooting display.
The game was billed as a Battle of the Next Stars - RJ Hampton of the Breakers and LaMelo Ball for the Hawks - and both NBA-bound youngsters had their moments.
Hampton took the early honours with a block on Ball in the opening exchanges, while Ball threw down a big dunk in the fourth quarter but neither dominated the game.
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LAMELO-M-G 😱@MELOD1P with the HUGE PUTBACK 💥#ILLatNZB #NBL20 pic.twitter.com/DeIwwd3mE1
— NBL (@NBL) October 24, 2019
For all the pre-game chatter about the Next Stars, two of the homegrown NBL veterans helped get the job done for the Breakers.
Kiwis Tom Abercrombie (16 points) and Corey Webster (17 points) both nailed big shots when it mattered.
A three from Webster with four minutes to go in the third quarter gave the Breakers a 20-point margin and put the result beyond doubt.
Imports Scotty Hopson (17 points, nine rebounds) and Sek Henry (21 points) also provided valuable contributions for the home side.
“I didn’t feel good today, I was kind of sick,” Hopson said. “But I knew we needed to win coming off the last game that we had, so I’m just glad the guys played well and we got a victory.”
The win marked a positive turnaround for the Breakers after losing to the Sydney Kings in Auckland last Sunday.
“We are battling hard each and every day in practice,” Hopson said.
“We needed to win coming off the last home game that we had and the guys put it together and played hard tonight.”
The Breakers lost big man Rob Loe in the first quarter with a nasty head knock, which complicated matters for the Breakers who were also without Tom Vodanovich and Finn Delany through injury.
“Our depth is a strength of ours and we are going to need them guys to get healthy,” Hopson said.
The Hawks fell to 1-5 to start the season as poor shooting hurt them.