NZ Breakers push Phoenix Suns close

The New Zealand Breakers came within just five points of pulling off a historic upset against the Phoenix Suns yesterday.

The New Zealand Breakers came within just five points of pulling off a historic upset against the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns, led by No 1 NBA draft pick Deandre Ayton, beat the Breakers 91-86 in a sparsely populated Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix yesterday in the latest clash of the seven-game NBL-NBA exhibition series.

The Suns were considered the most vulnerable target for the visiting NBL squads seeking a win against a team from the world’s best basketball league. The Suns had the NBA’s worst record last season and against the Breakers were without injured star guard Devin Booker, who recently signed a $US158 million ($222m) contract extension.

The Breakers scored the first basket of the game to take a 2-0 lead, but the Suns quickly took control and did just enough to maintain a buffer throughout. The Suns led 28-20 at the end of the first quarter and 52-42 at halftime. In the final minute the Breakers, led by Auckland-born guard Corey Webster, cut the lead to four points.

The Suns’ best was 216cm tall centre Ayton, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds and former Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza with 16 points and six assists. Webster had 27 points and seven assists for the Breakers while forward Tai Wesley added 15 points and seven rebounds.

The NBL-NBA series concludes tomorrow (AEST) with Melbourne United up against the Toronto Raptors, Perth Wildcats play the Denver Nuggets and the Adelaide 36ers face the Utah Jazz.

The past week the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Sydney Kings 110-91, the Jazz crushed the Wildcats 130-72 and Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a 104-84 win over Melbourne United.

Meanwhile, LeBron James is tipped to win the NBA’s MVP award in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Golden State Warriors are favourites to clinch a third consecutive championship, the league’s annual survey of general managers has revealed.

While James has cautioned that it will take time to transform the Lakers into a team capable of challenging for silverware, the 33-year-old remains the most popular pick to win MVP among the league’s 30 general managers.

James, who made his Staples Center debut for the Lakers in a pre-season game this week, was the pick of 30 per cent of GMs while Golden State’s Kevin Durant polled second with 27 per cent.

The Warriors meanwhile remain the overwhelming favourites to win a fourth title in five seasons. Eighty-seven per cent of GMs backed the Oakland outfit to retain their title, with the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets earning seven per cent each.

The Celtics are most executives’ favourites to face the Warriors in the NBA finals, with 90 per cent ranking Boston as the best team in the Eastern Conference.

James meanwhile was also given high marks for his overall ability, topping the rankings as the most versatile player and the player with the best “basketball IQ”. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was tipped as the most sought-after player, with 30 per cent of managers saying he would be the top choice if they were attempting to build a franchise.

Agencies