Basketball On The Internet.

WHAT an absolutely unconscionable and disgraceful performance last night from coach Stu Lash and his Brisbane Blanks as they meekly surrendered to New Zealand by a whopping 29 points in their NBL Ignite Cup clash, a result darkened still further by the late and unnecessary injury to Casey Prather.

Why Prather was still on the court with his team 31 points behind in the last quarter when he injured his right knee after landing from a layup will be something Lash will need to explain.

Prather, and to a much lesser extent Tyrell Harrison, have been Brisbane's only shining lights in a season of prolonged darkness made pitch black by a Breakers team playing some of its best basketball, akin to its 42-point mauling of the Hawks in Illawarra.

In total control after backing up a 27-18 first quarter with a 41-point second period explosion for a humiliating 68-36 halftime lead, New Zealand was simply brilliant and made to look moreso by the morose morass of a mess that is Brisbane.

Just when you're about to think they may be worthwhile after responding to a 37-point home loss to a sultry Sydney by beating Tasmania in a cut-throat thriller, they turn around and spew up that pathetic tosh hardly even befitting an NBL1 battler.

Prather was working hard for his 26 points at 53 per cent, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block, trying to inspire his listless teammates - most notably the totally indolent Jaylen Adams - before his awkward landing (right) meant this disaster was about to be compounded by the probable indefinite loss of the club's sole MVP candidate.

Bear in mind too that two of Brisbane's five wins this season were in New Zealand over the Breakers so to capitulate so submissively was beyond what any Bullets fan should have to endure.

No wonder only 2,275 diehards turned up to watch, home fans so far having to sit through a two-point loss to Tasmania, nine to United, 23 to South East Melbourne, 37 to Sydney and now 29 to a New Zealand which led by as many as 37.

Oh yeah, there was one win somewhere in there ... over Cairns.

So Stu Lash was the best coach in their global search that the Bullets could find? A guy who has just about the whole rotation on the floor in the first quarter as the Breakers run away with the contest, never trailing and just making this more embarrassing with every passing minute?

But enough about this flawed franchise ... for now.

New Zealand was as good as it was in Wollongong against the champs, before last round it bungled two completely winnable games to Adelaide and Sydney.

Karim Lopez opened in sizzling fashion, Sam Mennenga did as he pleased, Parker Jackson-Cartwright was facilitating instead of ball-dominating and Rob Baker started in aggressive style.

He finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double and swished 3-of-4 threes while also working to make better defensive decisions and positions.

The Breakers bench was unrelenting and coach Petteri Koponen even remembered he has Sean Bairstow on his roster. Briefly.

New Zealand came to play. Brisbane? Who knows? Certainly not Lash and why they insist on keeping Adams, with his obvious disinterest and dreadful body language is a mystery even greater than why Prather was left on court in a massacre.

Round 9

New Zealand Breakers 113 (Mennenga 25, Brockington 19, Jackson-Cartwright 15, Lopez 13, Baker 12; Baker 11 rebs; Jackson-Cartwright 7 assts) d Brisbane Bullets 84 (Prather 26, Mathias 12, Harrison, Ducas 11; Harrison, Prather 8 rebs; Ducas 5 assts) at The Rifle Range, Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre. Crowd: 2,275 Q-Q: 27-18, 41-18, 24-21, 21-27. Ignite Cup Pts: New Zealand 6, Brisbane 1