Upsets, comebacks dominate in the NBL

Dec 24, 2017 - 6:50 AM A series of dramatic comebacks highlighted round 11 of NBL action, with teams defying the odds to produce stunning turnarounds.

No lead was safe as the New Zealand Breakers, Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks all overcame double-digit deficits to record wins while the Adelaide 36ers almost wiped out a 16-point gap in the final three minutes before succumbing to Melbourne United.

The Cairns Taipans were the only team to maintain a lead from start to finish in a blowout 94-75 road win against the slumping 36ers.

Skipper Cam Gliddon was on fire from beyond the arc for the visitors, shooting seven from 10 three-pointers.

It was a rough week for Adelaide, who were smacked on their home court by the Taipans after a spiteful 99-91 defeat in Melbourne on Friday night.

With captain Mitch Creek and Anthony Drmic already sidelined and import Ramone Moore injured in the first half, Adelaide reduced United's 91-75 lead to a single basket in the closing seconds.

But Melbourne kept their poise to win their third successive game.

Winless in their past four matches, the Hawks went into Saturday's home clash against Perth without AJ Ogivly, Mitch Norton and veteran Oscar Forman.

They fell behind 26-10 in the first quarter before storming home to shock the defending champions with a 96-84 win.

Rotnei Clarke (21 points, six assists) and Demitrius Conger (21 points, three blocks) provided the inspiration in a performance Illawarra coach Rod Beverage described as "one of the biggest character wins I've ever coached."

Import duo JP Tokoto (27 points, 12 rebounds) and Bryce Cotton (23 points) impressed but could not prevent Perth falling to their second straight loss, allowing New Zealand to reclaim top spot on the ladder.

The Breakers opened the round with a come-from-behind 98-95 win in Sydney on Thursday night, reserve centre Rob Loe (23 points, four three-pointers) and Edgar Sosa (21 points) leading the charge after the Kings led by double digits in the second and third quarters.

But the bottom-placed Kings engineered their own unlikely comeback two nights later as they recovered from an 18-point margin to stun the in-form Brisbane Bullets 101-95 on their home floor.

With injured centre Jeremy Tyler failing to make the trip north, the Kings gave up the first 14 points of the game, but a 29-16 final term swung the match Sydney's way.

"Given our circumstances, it's really rewarding," coach Andrew Gaze said after Sydney earned their fifth win of the season.

"It's great to see the guys get a reward for their effort ... they have been working their tails off."

Source: AAP