Parker Jackson-Cartwright pulls down a rebound. Photo: photosport
The Breakers have crashed to an eighth straight loss in the NBL, beaten 97-82 by the Tasmania Jackjumpers in their Christmas Day game in Hobart.
Another poor finish cost the New Zealand side, who opened up an early seven-point lead and were still within sight heading into the final quarter at just five points down.
Guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored 23 points but appeared fortunate to stay on the court when he became involved in a fiery altercation over the closing minutes.
Jackson-Cartwright was among the Breakers players off their best in long-range shooting, managing just four of their 23 three-point attempts.
Other standout performers on the stats sheet were big men Tacko Fall (11 points, nine rebounds, three blocks) and Sam Mennenga (11 points, seven rebounds).
Tasmania were led by Jordon Crawford, who included six three-pointers among his 26 points.
Breakers coach Petteri Koponen said his side were guilty of letting a good position slip away.
"It's the same story as against Sydney (previous game) with us giving effort for 30-35 minutes but then we start to rush some things and don't make the pass to the open guy, and try to go individually," he said.
"We kind of lost our poise there again and it's something we've talked a lot about during the season because it has been our problem.
"During this losing stretch we've been shooting the ball really badly - four of 23 from three tonight is not good enough.
"There are no magic tricks, but we keep fighting as a team. No one wants to quit and it's just those crucial moments we need to play better. The guys are much better than we're showing right now."
The Breakers have a chance to end their losing run when they play the last-placed Taipans in Cairns on Tuesday night.
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