NBL: New Zealand Breakers, Brisbane Bullets make roster moves
The morning after the inaugural NBL Cup came to an end, two teams decided to make significant changes to their respective rosters.
New Zealand Breakers parted ways with import wing Lamar Patterson, with the team then signing Levi Randolph to fill that vacant position.
Randolph, a 6 6 wing who last played in the NBA G-League, signed a two-year deal, with a team option on the second season.
Over in Brisbane, the Bullets parted ways with import guard Orlando Johnson.
Editor s Picks
Patterson then signed with the Bullets, sources said, filling the vacant spot left by Johnson and rejoining the team he excelled at from 2018 to 2020.
NBL Cup: Sydney Kings hold off South East Melbourne Phoenix
Sydney Kings remain in contention for the NBL Cup after lifting in the second half to defeat South East Melbourne Phoenix 91-85.
The Kings came back from eight points down at John Cain Arena on Saturday night to snap a two-game losing run and extend their unbeaten record against the Phoenix to five matches.
Sydney entered Saturday s clash without a victory against a team currently in the top four, or having held on to win a close game, but achieved both goals thanks to 19 points from Dejan Vasiljevic and a double-double from Casper Ware (11 points, 10 rebounds).
New Zealand Breakers to set up NBL home in Tasmania
The New Zealand Breakers are set to play home games out of Launceston later this season as their nomadic NBL existence continues.
The Breakers have been in Australia since late last year. They were first based in Melbourne before a move to Hobart, and then returned to Melbourne for the ongoing NBL Cup.
NBL on ESPN
Love Basketball? Australian users can personalise their ESPN experience by downloading the App. Get live scores, news and videos
ANYWHERE,
DOWNLOAD
It is hoped COVID-19 restrictions will ease and they will be able to return to play in New Zealand later this season, but in the meantime Launceston s Silverdome will be home for up to six games from next month.
The New Zealand Breakers have produced a record-breaking first-half onslaught to set up a 106-62 thrashing of the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL Cup.
Adelaide entered Saturday s contest at John Cain Arena aiming to improve on their slow starts, after falling behind 36-10 in a loss to Melbourne United two nights earlier.
But New Zealand blew the Sixers off the court with a 32-6 start to set a league record for the largest first-quarter lead in a 40-minute game.
The Breakers increased their advantage to 30 points at the main break, creating a club record for the biggest halftime lead, before going on to become the first team to earn maximum points in the NBL Cup by winning all four quarters.
Our Roundtable is back to answer some of those burning questions.
Currently at 6-0 going into the hub, is Melbourne United far and away the best team in the NBL?
Olgun Uluc: They really are. At a risk of sounding like a broken record, United just has so many top-tier pieces to be a contender, but then boast near-perfect role players to make them the title favourite.
When healthy, United just has too many weapons, and the chemistry seems to be at a point where everyone knows his role going into each game. But then, even in their game against the Hawks - where they were missing Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, and Jo Lual Acuil Jr. - they could then lean on the likes of Mitch McCarron and Jock Landale to be their superstars. Those two players have taken a step back, relative to their ceiling, for the betterment of the team; as much as the talent makes them the favourites to win it all, that type of selflessness is what clearly separates them from the pack.