Final score: Melbourne 104 (Goulding 26, Long 22, Trimble 16)
Breakers 101 (Rice Jnr 26, Webster 20, Hampton 16)
Wrap: The 3rd quarter costs the Breakers - they lost it 33-14. They fought back very well in the final 10 minutes with a 34-20 4th quarter but it wasn't enough. Glen Rice Jnr was excellent with ball in hand with 26 points, three assists and two rebounds while Chris Goulding was electric for Melbourne finishing with 24-3-4.
Full time - Henry lands a two at the end but it's too late and Melbourne get the win.
4th Quarter
00:13 - Prayher lands two free throws to ice it.
00:18 - Hampton having a great second half ... he drives again andd is fouled....he has to land these. he gets the first ..... but misses the second. He's just 2 from 6 from the line tonight.
00:26 - Lead down to two as Henry gets the steal and runs away to dunk! But Webster fouls on the inbound and Trimble will have two to maybe ice it .... he nails both.
00:57 - Hampton on the break drives to the basket and nails two.
1:25 - Great defence from Melbourne as Abercrombie loses the ball out of bounds.
1:34 - Hampton adds a corner three and the Breakers get a stop at the other end or though it is being reviewed ..... yes it's Breakers ball. The lead the quarter 27-16.
2:03 - Lead down to seven as Webster nails a jumper.
2:45 - Abercrombie lands a big three from the top of the key.
3:37 - And the Breakers chances of a win just shrunk as Rice Jnr fouls out.
3:54 - Rice Jnr will go to the line again ... he nails both and has 26 points now, leading all scorers.
4:18 - Free throws for Glen Rice Jnr to cut the lead to nine. The former NBA draft pick nails both - Breakers lead the quarter 15-9.
4:40 - RJ Hampton! ... on the fast break again and he Euro steps to the basket .. is fouled and the ball rolls in. He can't add the extra though.
5:19 - Webster gets two on the fast break from Hampton.
5:48 - Hampton gets to the line but can only add one.
6:16 - Ili to the basket ... draws two defenders and gives the pass to Long who slams it home.
6:42 - Rice Jnr to the basket and is fouled and the ball drops in .... the former NBA player adds the extra bucket. 22 points for the American.
7:21 - Webster providing the offence for the Breakers at the moment lands another two in the paint.
8:08 - Rice Jnr fouled on a corner three attempt and will shoot three from the line.
8:13 - Shea Ili to the bucket and lands two for Melbourne.
8:42 - Rice Jnr, Hampton and Ashley back in but it's a long way back for the Breakers.
End of quarter (Melb 84-67) 33-14 in that quarter for Melbourne ... the Breakers struggling on offence, but credit to Chris Goulding who scored 16 points. Most lopsided half of the season in the entire league.
3rd Quarter
00:11 - Prather lands a three for Melbourne to add salt.
00:38 - Henry to the basket and he gets two.
1:12 - The Breakers look lost on offence without Rice Jnr or Hampton on court ... Webster misses a hopeful three.
2:34 - Three for Rusbatch from the corner ... nice feed on the fast break from Webster.
3:13 - Webster breaks the run and gets a two with an aggresive play to the basket but Long goes down the other end .. gets a layup and is fouled.
3:30 - Goulding has 22 now as he lands another 3-pointer .... so hot! Quarter score is 25-7.
4:31 - Wow - Chris Goulding is in fire ... screen play and he rolls off and lands a long 3-pointer and is fouled by Rice Jnr ... his 4th foul and he will sit. This is getting ugly.
5:02 - Time out for the Breakers as hampton turns the ball over and Mccarron goes down the other end to stretch the lead to nine. 18-7 in this quarter for Melbourne.
6:19 - Breakers getting beat up now as Goulding lands a three but Rice Jnr down the other end replies.
7:10 - Shawn Long slams home a dunk and is fouled .... he adds the extra basket.
8:03 - Barlow hits his third 3-pointer to give Melbourne a two-point lead.
9:01 - Barlow lands a sweet 3-pointer from the top of the key for Melbourne.
9:27 - Abercrombie puts on a spin move in the paint and earns the foul off Barlow - he nails 2 from 2.
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Leading scorers
Breakers - (Rice Jnr 13, Abercrombie 11, Webster 10)
Melbourne - (Long 12, Trimbole 12, Goulding 8)
Half time - (Breakers 53-51) Melbourne were brilliant to start, earning an eight point lead before Glen Rice Jnr changed the offensive look of the Breakers. He is a an elite basketball player - that is very clear after watching him for 10 minutes.
2nd Quarter
00:00 - Webster nails a corner 3 off the feed from Henry and the Breakers take a lead into the half.
00:25 - Brandon Ashley is back which is a good sign for the Breakers.
00:54 - Rice Jnr creates an easy layup for Vadanovich
1:13 - 8-0 run for Melbiourne has them three up as the half winds down.
2:06 - Ili lands an open three to put Melbourne in front.
3:26 - Brandon Ashley off the court with a hip injury as Abercrombie lands another 3-pointer and will go to the line for the four-point play which he converts.
4:07 - Great work from Henry, creates an open three for Abercrombie and he drills it from the top of the key.
5:31 - Shea Ili adds two from the line for Melbourne.
6:06 - Hampton gets the ball off the screen and charges into the paint and slams the ball home!
7:40 - 3-point shot lands for Webster! Nice play to get him open....Melbourne go down the other end and Goulding replies with a three of his own.
8:11 - Hampton is playing very aggressive ball tonight ... he gets fouled by Trimbole and lands 1 from 2 from the line.
8:48 - Barlow puts Melbourne in front with a big three.
9:15 - Rice Jnr to the basket and gets another two.
9:43 - Rice Jnr goes over Shawn Long with the pass for Henry who slams it home!
End of quarter (27-27) - Breakers miss a couple shots at the end to take the lead.
Rice Jnr leads all scorers with 11 points while Shawn long has 10.
1st Quarter
00:28 - Poor foul from Rusbatch - Goulding has three free-throw to level the score ... and he dows just that.
00:35 - Rice Jnr at the line adds another two - he has 11 points in less than five minutes.
1:17 - Breakers take the lead through two free-throws for Henry
1:22 - Oh my gosh - Rice Jnr hits a huge 3-point shot ... makes his own shot off a screen and pulls up for a maximum. He got game.
2:03 - Breakers miss the chance to take the lead as Vodanovich can't hit the open 3.
2:25 - Rice Jnr will have two free throws - nice aggression inside the paint and he gets the call from the referee ... he looks very good.
3:02 - Six straight for the Breakers as Henry lands a mid-range jumper. Time out Melbourne.
3:31 - Another two for Rice Jnr - off an inbound pass - pretty play.
3:45 - Shawn Long 10 points now - he is dominating down low for Melbourne.
4:07 - Abercrombie adds a couple more from the charity stripe.
4:27 - Great start for Rice Jnr - makes his own shot and drills it from just inside the key.
4:52 - Shawn Long adds two from the line for Melbourne.
5:09 - Hampton aggressive again as he goes to the basket for two. Glen Rice checks in for the Breakers as Abercrombie adds two free throws.
5:43 - Webster struggling - 1 from 4 - Melbourne scoring on every possesion.
6:14 - RJ Hampton has his first points - finishes off the glass attacking the basket.
6:50 - Nice play from Henry - fed by Webster and he goes under the basket witha reverse layup for his first points .
7:03 - Hot start from Melbourne - 4 from 7 from the field - the Breakers just 1 from 5.
8:33 - Corey Webster to the basket and gets an easy layup.
9:09 - Two offensive rebounds to start for Melbourne and Long ends up tipping two points home.
Three former Breakers in the Melbourbe lineup in Shaun Long, Shea Ili and Alex Pledger and they are cpached of course by Dean Vickerman - former Breakers league winning coach.
Pre-game: New recruit Glen Rice Jnr is on the bench for the Breakers - he's a world class player and very good on both sides of ball - expect him to make an impact.
Starting fives
Breakers: Guards - RJ Hampton and Corey Webster, Forwards - Tom Abercrombie and Sek Henry, Centre - Brandon Ashley
Melbourne: Guards - Mitch McCarron and Melo Trimbole, Forwards - Chris Goulding and David Barlow, Centre - Shaen Long
Hello folks and welcome to live coverage of the ANBL clash between the New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United.
The NZ club is looking to kickstart their season after an inconsistent first few weeks that has brought two wins and five losses.
The Breakers have paid for fourth quarter lapses this season and potentially could have scored an extra four wins so far.
Melbourne have lost two of their last three but topped the Breakers by six points last month.
Spark Arena has been filled to the brim twice this season and with new NBA recruit, Glen Rice Jnr expected to play, the Breakers could be set to play in front of another sell out tonight.
Pre-game banter
NZ Breakers confident controversial recruit Glen Rice Jr won't cause trouble
The NZ Breakers are confident new signing Glen Rice Jr can ignite their season - and not make headlines off the court.
On Wednesday, the son of three-time NBA All-Star Glen Rice Sr was named as a temporary replacement for Scotty Hopson, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
The Breakers are also without Rob Loe (skull fracture) and Finn Delany (knee).
Rice, 28, played under Shamir at Hapoel Holon in Israel last year and was named the league's Most Valuable Player, averaging 24.5 points, eight rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in 2018.
- Breakers recruit former NBA draft pick Glen Rice Jr
- New Zealand Breakers fall to Perth Wildcats in Invercargill
But Rice has a troubled past, including arrests on battery and drug possession.
Under Shamir's watch, he was reportedly sacked for punching a teammate, but eventually returned to Holon for the playoffs.
While Shamir concedes Rice has a troubled past, he insists the guard has the ability to help get the Breakers back on track, as they sit seventh in the ANBL standings with two wins in six games.
"We took everything into account," Shamir told Newshub. "Glen is a good guy and I'm the only one who knows him personally here.
"He's had lots of stories in the past, but I know he wants to do well and I hope this will be the case.
"I know the value he can bring to our team, and hopefully everything will go okay and we will see the good side of him.
"We thought about everything, and we had to do this to give us a chance and not let the season slip.
"We have injuries, we've had a tough pre-season and there are so many games still to play. We want to give yourself a chance to win games - that's why we had to do this."
Rice said he was determined to make the Breakers a better team. He will likely take the court against Melbourne United in Auckland on Thursday.
"I'm 100 percent committed," Rice told Newshub. "We are all here with one goal, which is to win.
"I came here to try to dominate and with Dan, I've played with him before and we had a good relationship.
"He's one of the best coaches I've played with. The Breakers are a great organisation, and I'm looking forward to coming here and dominating.
"Everything in the past is behind me. I'm just here to dominate on the court and focus on basketball.
"I'm not here to focus on anything off the court."
Newshub.
