Parker Jackson-Cartwright has consigned the Sydney Kings to more misery on their home deck, with the American guard steering the New Zealand Breakers to a rousing 93-89 victory.
Jackson-Cartwright starred with 34 points in the 2023-24 NBL playoffs to send the Kings packing, and again relished the hostile reception at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon in a see-sawing affair.
The defeat was the second straight for star-studded Sydney and leaves them sinking down the NBL ladder from third spot with a 5-4 win-loss record with the Breakers taking over that position.
New Zealand coach Petteri Kopenen lauded the grit of his team, who have travelled more than 50,000 kilometres for their six games, with the performance coming after a 26-point home loss to the bottom-placed Phoenix.
"I'm very proud of these guys as last month has been crazy, all over the place travelling, but they showed character today," the Finnish coach said.
"The guys grinded out, Matt Mooney and Parker (Jackson-Cartwright), I had to just try to manage the minutes somehow.
"They both played 38 and 35 minutes and they were running on last fumes in the end, but they brought us home."
The coach described Jackson-Cartwright as a "special" player, while admitting his off-the-cuff style sometimes drove him mad.
"He attacks to the spaces, he plays so great with the instincts and sometimes as a coach, you go crazy with him because sometimes he does nothing under control, basically.
"He's a special player, one of the best players in the league and again, great game for him."
Looking to bounce back from their shock three-point loss to an undermanned Perth outfit, the Kings got off to a strong start and led by as much as 12 points in the second quarter.
However, Jackson-Cartwright and import Matt Mooney hauled the visitors into the lead, taking advantage of some clunky play by the Kings at both ends of the court.
Jackson-Cartwright finished with 21 points while fellow American Mooney tipped in 24.
New Zealand turned an 18-25 deficit into a 49-45 lead by half-time thanks to two late buckets by Jackson-Cartwright.
The Breakers still managed to hang on to a three-point lead, 72-69, heading into the final term.
Despite their shooting woes, at just 39 per cent from the floor, the Kings remained in touch thanks to their New Zealand international Izayah Le'afa, who finished with 23 points.
But with foul trouble not helping their cause, Sydney were unable to close the margin, with the Breakers back in the winners' circle.
Kings coach Brian Goorjian said he could see his team was fatigued, playing 24 hours after their arrival back from Perth.
He felt that factor and the contributions of Parker-Cartwright and Mooney made the difference, while the Kings continue to miss injured star Jaylen Adams.
"Our group's really hurting - I know they wanted this one bad," Goorjian said.
"We built that 12 point lead and gave it away in about a minute and then it was really, really difficult from that point on."
Goorjian didn't offer a timeline for the return of former league MVP Adams, who is struggling with a back injury.
"I don't think he's going to have an impact on our group for a while," he said.