The New Zealand Breakers, who have been plagued by injuries throughout the NBL24 season, finally found their groove on Wednesday night with a hard-fought 92-83 win over the Brisbane Bullets.

Jarrell "The Excitement Machine" Cheatham, back from a broken leg, proved to be the X-factor for the Breakers, scoring eight of his 11 points in the decisive fourth quarter. He, along with veteran Cedric Jackson (18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists), led the team on a 12-0 run to secure the win and push New Zealand into sixth place.

The Breakers held the advantage for most of the game, but the Bullets, led by rookies Josh Bannan (14 points, 7 rebounds) and Rocco Zikarsky (7 points, 2 caps, career-high), fought back and even took the lead at one point midway through the final quarter.

However, the experience of the Breakers shined in the final minutes. Head Coach Morty Mauer was pleased with his team's newfound resilience, saying, "Our last couple of wins have come on offense, but Brisbane doesn't let you play that way. The fact that we were able to win a game that required all-out effort and tenacity is a huge step forward for us."

For the Bullets, the loss marks their fourth straight defeat and drops them to 7-11 in the standings. They are hoping the comeback of three-time NBL champion Casey Prather on Saturday will give them a boost. However, Brisbane import point guard Shannon Scott's re-injured hamstring remains a concern, with head coach Justin Schueller admitting the team's effort needs to improve dramatically, especially after a lackluster start to the second half.