Basketball On The Internet.

NBL champion Perth tonight took a "pinch and a punch for the first of the month" as Bullets guard Jason Cadee shot them down in an 87-78 upset, while the Breakers remain on tenterhooks for news on the extent of Scotty Hopson's knee injury.

One of the more impressive import signings of the NBL off-season, Hopson hit the floor hard in the second quarter of NZ's 93-85 win over Cairns yesterday with what initially appeared to be a hyper-extension of his right knee.

Best case scenario is Hopson has no major ligament damage and it is a hamstring injury, MRI scans to reveal the full extent shortly. His return to the sidelines late in the match to watch the Breakers close it out was encouraging.

In NZ's last home game in Auckland, centre Rob Lowe suffered a fractured skull, continuing a Breakers' history of their players being victims of extremely rare injuries. Ex-Sydney King Deng Deng has been signed as a temporary replacement.

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BRISBANE desperately needed to make a statement and it did just that tonight in Brisbane, weathering another three fouls on centre Matt Hodgson inside the game's first five minutes to pull up Perth 87-78.

Cadee's 3-point dagger for a late 87-76 lead put a definitive end to a contest, his 5-of-10 triples the difference and cherry on top of Andrej Lemanis' 350th game as an NBL head coach.

Cadee, above, finished with a season-best 17 points and also boasted a game-high five assists.

Brisbane imports Taylor Braun (12 points) and EJ Singler (10 points in 15 minutes) also had some positive moments, Braun contrasting a threeball with a slam dunk to show his versatility.

Of course Lamar Patterson was his usual effective self, with 16 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals.

For Perth, 2019 Larry Sengstock Medallist Terrico White battled to keep the Wildcats in the game, finishing with a match-high 23 points.

Probably the only disappointment for the Bullets - other than Hodgson again being in foul trouble; hopefully one day soon Matty will realise who the constant is in that stat - was the paltry crowd number, with less than 3,000 Bulletheads finding their way to the new Armoury.

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In Auckland, the Breakers burst from the starting blocks with a 22-11 first period, leading by as many as 17 points in the second quarter before Cairns started its fightback ahead of halftime.

Cam Oliver (23 points at 67 percent) led the way back, Kouat Noi (16 at 75 percent) and Majok Deng (18 and seven boards) also significant as the Breakers dealt with losing Hopson after just 11:30 of first-half action, during which he already collated seven points, three assists and two rebounds.

On the plus side for New Zealand, RJ Hampton was delivering a career-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with 4-of-6 from deep, plus two boards, an assists and three steals, one of those leading to what is pictured below.

Additionally, ever-reliable Corey Webster had a season-high 23 points at 57 percent, with eight assists, Brandon Ashley with a 14-point, 11-rebound double in just under 20 minutes.

Scott Machado also enjoyed a double-double for the Taipans with 11 points and 10 assists, Cairns' bench contributing just two points.

Another great attendance of 7,943 fans watched the win, the first time New Zealand has enjoyed crowds of more than 7,000 in three straight regular season home games.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 93 (Webster 23, Hampton 18, Ashley 14; Ashley 11 rebs; Webster 8 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 85 (Oliver 23, Deng 18, Noi 16, Newbill 15, Machado 11; Newbill, Deng 7 rebs; Machado 10 assts) at The Breakwater, Spark Arena. Crowd: 7,943

BRISBANE BULLETS 87 (Cadee 17, Patterson 16, Braun 12, Singler 10; Patterson, Sobey 7 rebs; Cadee 5 assts) d PERTH WILDCATS 78 (White 23, Cotton 15, Steindl 11; Kay 9 rebs; Martin 4 assts) at The Armoury, Nissan Arena. Crowd: 2,857