NZ Breakers confirm games against two NBA opponents

By Christopher Reive

The New Zealand Breakers will be testing themselves against some of the NBA’s best this year, with two crossover games confirmed for October in the United States.

After much speculation, the NBL has confirmed the Breakers will visit the Portland Trailblazers on October 11, before meeting the Utah Jazz on October 17. It will be the third time the Breakers have travelled to the US to test themselves against NBA teams, last doing so in 2019.

The New Zealand club will meet familiar faces during their visit to Portland. In June, the Trailblazers selected former Breakers guard Rayan Rupert, who joined the Breakers as part of the NBL’s Next Stars programme, with the 43rd pick in the NBA draft. Former Breakers assistant coach Jacob Mooallem is also on the staff in Portland, working as an analytics coach.

Rupert was the fourth Breakers player to be drafted into the NBA after a year at the Auckland club, following R.J. Hampton (pick 24 in 2020), Ousmane Dieng (12th in 2022) and Hugo Besson (58th in 2022).

“It’s an amazing opportunity for our players to play on basketball’s biggest stage against the best teams in the world,” Breakers owner Matt Walsh said.

“The Breakers have become the benchmark globally for developing future NBA talent and we can’t wait to play against former Breaker Next Star Rayan Rupert,” Walsh said.

Meanwhile, Utah signed Breakers import forward Jarrell Brantley late last season after the Breakers’ campaign was over, though he is no longer on the team’s roster.

There is some star power in the two NBA teams; seven-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard (Portland) and 2022 NBA Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen (Utah) among them.

While the Breakers’ two previous visits to the US have come during their pre-season, this year’s slate will be played after the NBL season has already started. The Breakers will be overseas during weeks three and four of their campaign, which starts at Spark Arena against the Cairns Taipans on September 30.

The Taipans are the only other team meeting NBA opposition, with games against the Washington Wizards (October 11) and Toronto Raptors (October 16).

Last year, the Adelaide 36ers were the only team to compete in NBLxNBA crossover games, beating the Phoenix Suns - who went on to be Western Conference semifinalists. The Breakers’ best result in an NBA crossover game was also against the Suns, when they fell to a 91-86 loss in 2018.

“With the Adelaide 36ers having defeated the Phoenix Suns last year, we know these four games will generate great interest and anticipation,” NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said.

“The connection and relationship between the NBL and NBA are constantly growing and evolving, and these preseason meetings are a definite highlight in the calendar. We can’t wait to see Cairns and New Zealand take on some of their very best in October,” Loeliger said.

NZ Breakers’ NBA games

v Portland Trailblazers, Tuesday October 10. Moda Centre, Portland, Oregon.
v Utah Jazz, Tuesday October 17. Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission