Basketball On The Internet.

NO overtime NBL games all season and then - wham! - in one fell swoop we get a double-overtime thiller in Cairns overnight.

The Taipans needed to win by an unlikely 19 to steal the series back from Illawarra but ahead by 23 at one stage during the third, it looked a distinct possibility.

Just as Cairns needed to deal with adversity in Wednesday's loss in Wollongong when Matt Burston was a sudden withdrawal, this time it was Illawarra having to deal with Kirk Penney leaving the game early, suffering back spasms.

Still ahead by 17 with a period to play, Cairns was looking a good thing to be back in the finals race but Rhys Martin and Kevin Lisch led a startling recovery, the Taipans went off the boil and suddenly this thing was wide open.

Lisch's three for the tie at 80-80 - the Hawks still were eight down into the last 78 seconds after a Cam Gliddon triple but then, just about no lead is enough to guarantee anything at present - was huge and sent the game into overtime.

Illawarra was four ahead in the five-minute extension and still by three after pressure Lisch free throws before Gliddon iced a three to tie it at 89-89.

Again the Hawks jumped into the lead in the second overtime, Mark Worthington and Markel Starks changing the momentum and when Starks, with his career-best of 33 points, bumped the buffer to six, then eight, Cairns finally was across the line, a couple of Jarrad Weeks' triples notwithstanding.

Given the game went 50 minutes, Oscar Forman, who fouled out in 7:53, may have been the only person in the building who didn't get much bang-for-his-buck.

OSSIE ... In happier days, when not challenging the foul-out record.

SYDNEY gave the Breakers a brief wake-up call in the first half at Vector Arena, stalwart Mika Vukona leading New Zealand home with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. Cedric Jackson (17 points, seven rebounds, nine assists) had a couple of wicked passes in that lot, a behind-the-backer to Charles in Charge (of dunking) particularly entertaining. Tom Abercrombie didn't have one of his greatest nights but his three inside the last two minutes put down the final vestiges of Kings' resistance.

Tonight: IT'S funny how coming back from a huge deficit to beat a team makes you feel about yourself and that particular opponent. At the Blitz ahead of the 2014-15 season, Townsville was 19 down at halftime against United and fought back to win. Come the regular season and it didn't matter that Melbourne boasted considerably more talent, the Crocs beat them 3-out-of-4 times because they felt they had United's number. I witnessed a team this year come back from 19 down in the third quarter to beat a particular opponent and the next time when it was 14 down to the same team it had the confidence to come back and beat them again. When you're the Crocs and on Thursday you recovered from 15 down inside the last four minutes to win, you have to be aglow with confidence playing that same opponent - Adelaide - tonight. Plus new import Omar Samhan now has had a chance to learn his new teammates' names while the 36ers come to terms with the fact their finals run is in disarray. It creates fascinating scenarios and adds psychological aspects to this. I must say, I'm liking Townsville for the upset much more than earlier this week but I'll stick with Adelaide at home in another great NBL game.

Last night: NZ BREAKERS 96 (Vukona 18, Ce Jackson 17, Ch Jackson, Webster 12, Wesley, Abercrombie 11; Vukona 11 rebs; Ce Jackson 9 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 84 (Cadee 19, Thornton 17, Khazzouh 15, Garlepp 10; James 10 rebs; Thornton, Cadee 3 assts) at Vector Arena. CAIRNS TAIPANS 103 (Starks 33, Gliddon 19, Loughton 17, Tragardh 12, Worthington 11; ) d ILLAWARRA HAWKS 101 (Lisch 30, Martin 16, Ogilvy, Coenraad 15, Weeks 14; Martin, Ogilvy 8 rebs; Lisch 5 assts) in double overtime at Cairns Convention Centre.

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Randle's new gen of small men: http://bit.ly/1RJt36l