Sixers with great escape to go back top

The Adelaide 36ers looked likely to end Saturday out of the top two but they are now back on top with a 33-point fourth quarter led by Bryce Cotton's 42 for the game to beat the New Zealand Breakers 92-89.

The Breakers arrived at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre scoring the first nine points of the contest looking to keep whatever slim hopes of grabbing sixth spot there was alive.

They ended up leading most of the rest of the game including by 14 early in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers then dug deep in their last home match of the regular season.

The 36ers delivered 33 points to 18 in the fourth quarter with Cotton scoring 13 of them as they not only got the come from behind win, but moved back ahead of the Sydney Kings at 23-9 in top spot.

Cotton did his chances of a sixth MVP trophy no harm with the 42 points to go with four rebounds and four assists while playing every second to shoot 14/26 from the field, 7/16 from three and 7/8 at the foul line.

DJ Vasiljevic added 19 points with 3/9 three-point shooting with Zylan Cheatham crucial again threatening a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

However, limited impact from John Jenkins (zero points, 0/5 shooting), Flynn Cameron (six points, 2/5 shooting) and Isaac Humphries (five points, four rebounds) will be something the Sixers look to improve on.

Officially now the Breakers can't catch the sixth placed Tasmania JackJumpers with one game in their season to go but they will get another crack at Adelaide in the Ignite Cup Final on the Gold Coast next Sunday.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright did all he could to lift New Zealand to the win with 25 points and seven assists with Izaiah Brockington adding 19 points and four assists, Rob Loe 14 points with 4/5 three-point shooting, and Reuben Te Rangi went 3/6 from deep for 13 points and four rebounds.

New Zealand came into the game knowing they needed to win their last two games while hoping Tasmania lost theirs while then making up roughly a 100-point difference if they wanted to nab sixth spot.

They were on track to do that for a lot of the game at a sold out Adelaide Entertainment Centre too beginning with the first nine points with the 36ers going almost three minutes on their home floor without scoring.

New Zealand went on to be leading 29-16 by the end of the first quarter and then still 50-39 by half-time before that advantage extended to 71-59 by three quarter-time.

The lead was then 14 when the Breakers scored first in the final period but Cotton put the Sixers on his back from there to get the crowd up and going not only in support of the team, but with deafening MVP chants for him.

There were also two pivotal coaches challenges that went in Adelaide's favour and decidedly against New Zealand with the first when Jack Andrew would have gone to the foul line, and the second on a jumper from Izaiah Brockington.

The 36ers were able to grab the momentum and close the deal with Cotton's three late to take him to 40 points the dagger to give them a six-point lead on the way to the three-point win.

The 36ers now have one game left in their season and that's a tantalising battle in Perth next Friday night against the Wildcats before they take on the Breakers in the Ignite Cup Final on Sunday.

The Breakers will finish their season at home to the Cairns Taipans on Thursday night before then heading to the Gold Coast looking to finish the campaign on a high and with some added prizemoney.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26 – ROUND 21

ADELAIDE 36ERS 92 (Cotton 42, Vasiljevic 19, Cheatham 12)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 89 (Jackson-Cartwright 25, Brockington 19, Loe 14)

BOX SCORE