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THEIR backs against the wall, New Zealand pulled out a big game to stifle Tasmania but in Brisbane, the Bullets once again showed they are not yet up with the NBL heavweights, following their heavy loss to Perth with another big one to Melbourne in Jo Lual-Acuil's return game. 

Last year's grand finalists, the Breakers simply had to beat Tasmania to keep alive their play-in/playoff hopes and approached this home game accordingly.

Coming in off an impressive rout of ladder leader Melbourne, the JackJumpers also had everything to play for but once more it was Parker Jackson-Cartwright who won the battle of the NBL's premier Little Big Men, again lowering the colours of Tassie's equally exciting Jordon Crawford.

With Mangok Mathiang and Dane Pineau plagued throughout by foul problems, the Ants had every opportunity to exploit the middle with their giANTS, Marcus Lee and Will Magnay.

But despite a memorable match last round, Lee was largely inconsequential - more than 13:32 of court time may have helped - and while Magnay's 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds, two blocks and defensive keyway terrorism definitely helped, his 5-of-14 from the free throw line assuredly did not.

Seizing the initiative from the get-go and building it via a morale-boosting 33-19 second quarter, New Zealand utilised Anthony Lamb and Zylan Cheatham as an inside tag-team.

Lamb also stuck 3-of-4 threes and Cheatham 2-of-4, Jackson-Cartwright swishing 6-of-8 from long range in his game-high 25-point haul.

Will McDowell-White also found his 3-point stroke, banging in 3-of-4 in his 13 points at 63 per cent, the Breakers shooting at a sizzling 57 per cent (15-of-26) from distance.

Jack McVeigh carried Tasmania offensively, compiling 22 points on a tidy 8-of-11 clip but it wasn't until Milton Doyle started connecting from outside the arc that Tasmania truly threatened.

Doyle stroked four 3-pointers - all of them in the last quarter - to give Tassie life where there really was none.

Sean MacDonald followed a pair of Doyle triples with one that brought the score to 69-73 but McDowell-White's 3-pointer settled that JJ's foray.

Lamb and Izayah Le'afa took the score from 78-71 to 85-71 before Doyle's second set of 3-point makes dragged Tasmania within 85-89 inside the final minute.

From there though it was a free throw procession for the Breakers, Crawford's late triple creating the final more flattering scoreline.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 94 (Jackson-Cartwright 25, Cheatham 20, Lamb 18, McDowell-White 13; Mathiang, Cheatham 5 rebs; Lamb 5 assts) d TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 88 (McVeigh 22, Doyle 19, Magnay 15; Magnay 8 rebs; MacDonald 6 assts) at Eventfinda Stadium. Crowd: 2,272

SMACKED around last time by Melbourne in Melbourne, then pummelled by Perth in Perth last round, Brisbane at home and in front of its biggest Nissan Arena attendance, had plenty of incentive to square the ledger with United.

Sadly for its revitalised fanbase, Brisbane failed.

Key United returnees Jo Lual-Acuil (personal reasons) and Shea Ili (concussion protocols) were hugely impactful as Melbourne produced another rout, leaving the Bullets with a very clear idea of how far or how close they are to what the best in the NBL can produce.

JLA went off for a career-high 33 points at 70 per cent, buried 2-of-3 threeballs, grabbed 13 rebounds and stole the ball three times as he took delight and pleasure in isolating and attacking Brisbane bigs Tyrell Harrison and Aron Baynes.

He had a field day and Ili, in just 15 minutes, had a game-high six assists with six points, while also participating in Melbourne's usual shut-down defence.

Matthew Dellavedova relished containing Brisbane's main scorer Nathan Sobey, whose eventual 19 points was bolstered by 10-of-13 free throws on top of a less stellar 4-of-14 from the floor.

Chris Goulding was making shots as only he can. Former championship teammate Sam McDaniel blocked Goulding's first 3-point attempt of the match.

After that, Goulding pounded through six 3-pointers in his 23-point haul, Brisbane's early resistance - led by another former United championship winner in Casey Prather - faltering and spluttering amid what again appeared an unnecessary series of player rotations.

In them there dim, dark "olden days", the philosophy was if your man-to-man wasn't working, try some zone. This new era seems to embrace, if your man-to-man isn't working, sub every few minutes. Also do that if your zone isn't working. And sub every few minutes when things are working too! That should confuse and bamboozle them!

Melbourne led by as many as 20 points and with a backup game in Sydney to come this round, Dean Vickerman cleared his bench, his full squad yet again showing it will take some very consistent basketball to take this team down in a playoff series.

MELBOURNE UNITED 93 (Lual-Acuil 33, Goulding 23, Dellavedova 8; Lual-Acuil 13 rebs; Ili 6 assts) d BRISBANE BULLETS 77 (Sobey 19, McDaniel 12, Prather, Harrison 9; Harrison 8 rebs; Prather, Sobey 3 assts) at Nissan Arena. Crowd: 5,291