# 2023–24 New Zealand Breakers season

The 2023–24 New Zealand Breakers season was the 21st season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL).

## Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Development |
| PG | Will McDowell-White | Parker Jackson-Cartwright | Alex McNaught | |
| SG | Izayah Le'afa | Justinian Jessup | Cameron Gliddon | |
| SF | Mantas Rubštavičius | Thomas Abercrombie | Dan Fotu | Carlin Davison |
| PF | Zylan Cheatham | Finn Delany | Max Darling | Dominique Kelman-Poto |
| C | Mangok Mathiang | Dane Pineau | | |

## Standings
### Ladder

| Pos | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte | 2023–24 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Melbourne United | 28 | 20 | 8 | 71.43% | 3–2 | W1 | 11–3 | 9–5 | 2615 | 2454 | 106.56% |
| 2 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 17 | 11 | 60.71% | 2–3 | L2 | 10–4 | 7–7 | 2630 | 2563 | 102.61% |
| 3 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57.14% | 4–1 | W4 | 8–6 | 8–6 | 2564 | 2378 | 107.82% |
| 4 | Illawarra Hawks | 28 | 14 | 14 | 50.00% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–6 | 6–8 | 2547 | 2518 | 101.15% |
| 5 | Sydney Kings | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | W1 | 7–7 | 6–8 | 2672 | 2602 | 102.69% |
| 6 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2498 | 2480 | 100.73% |
| 7 | Brisbane Bullets | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | L1 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2458 | 2534 | 97.00% |
| 8 | Cairns Taipans | 28 | 12 | 16 | 42.86% | 1–4 | W1 | 7–7 | 5–9 | 2506 | 2589 | 96.79% |
| 9 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 12 | 16 | 42.86% | 3–2 | W1 | 9–5 | 3–11 | 2457 | 2563 | 95.86% |
| 10 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 28 | 10 | 18 | 35.71% | 1–4 | L4 | 7–7 | 3–11 | 2425 | 2691 | 90.12% |
Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

### Ladder progression

* Leader and qualification to semifinals
* Qualification to semifinals
* Qualification to play-in games
* Last place
2023–24 NBL season :
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Adelaide 36ers | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| Cairns Taipans | 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Melbourne United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Perth Wildcats | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 5 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Sydney Kings | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |

## Game log
### Pre-season

2023 NBL Blitz game log Total: 1–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 1–1) :
September: 1–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
17 September
@ Adelaide
W 75–101
Cameron Gliddon (19)
Zylan Cheatham (9)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (8)
Gold Coast Convention Centre n/a
1–0
2
19 September
Tasmania
W 85–92
Cameron Gliddon (17)
Zylan Cheatham (10)
Gliddon, Jackson-Cartwright (5)
Gold Coast Convention Centre n/a
1–1
3
21 September
@ Perth
L 93–89
Delany, Jackson-Cartwright (15)
Cheatham, Mathiang (6)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (10)
Gold Coast Convention Centre n/a
1–2 :

### NBLxNBA games

2023 pre-season game log Total: 0–2 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–2) :
October: 0–2 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
10 October
@ Portland
L 66–106
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (19)
Zylan Cheatham (10)
Zylan Cheatham (4)
Moda Center 12,694
0–1
2
16 October
@ Utah
L 94–114
Anthony Lamb (23)
Anthony Lamb (7)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (6)
Delta Center 14,190
0–2 :

### Regular season

2023–24 game log Total: 13–15 (Home: 8–6; Road: 5–9) :
September: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
30 September
Cairns
W 98–87
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (25)
Mangok Mathiang (5)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (8)
Spark Arena 6,400
1–0 :
October: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
2
5 October
Brisbane
L 84–89
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (20)
Zylan Cheatham (6)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (5)
Spark Arena 6,280
1–1
3
22 October
@ Melbourne
L 97–88
Zylan Cheatham (30)
Will McDowell-White (7)
Will McDowell-White (9)
John Cain Arena 9,579
1–2
4
26 October
Adelaide
L 85–97
Anthony Lamb (25)
Zylan Cheatham (8)
Will McDowell-White (11)
Spark Arena 4,646
1–3
5
28 October
@ S.E. Melbourne
L 103–100
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (33)
Mangok Mathiang (9)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (8)
John Cain Arena 6,195
1–4 :
November: 3–3 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
6
3 November
Cairns
W 91–81
Anthony Lamb (19)
Mangok Mathiang (11)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (7)
Christchurch Arena 4,909
2–4
7
5 November
Sydney
L 87–85
Anthony Lamb (29)
Will McDowell-White (8)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (5)
Sydney SuperDome 12,143
2–5
8
10 November
@ Perth
L 94–76
Anthony Lamb (25)
Mangok Mathiang (14)
Will McDowell-White (6)
Perth Arena 10,685
2–6
9
16 November
@ Tasmania
W 92–97
Anthony Lamb (24)
Anthony Lamb (11)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (3)
Silverdome 3,255
3–6
10
19 November
Illawarra
L 65–69
Jackson-Cartwright, Lamb (20)
Anthony Lamb (7)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (6)
Spark Arena 5,703
3–7
11
30 November
Adelaide
W 96–83
Anthony Lamb (24)
Jackson-Cartwright, Lamb (6)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (9)
Christchurch Arena 3,936
4–7 :
December: 3–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
12
2 December
@ S.E. Melbourne
L 90–79
Izayah Le'afa (17)
Mangok Mathiang (8)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (7)
John Cain Arena 6,244
4–8
13
9 December
Tasmania
L 80–97
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (25)
Anthony Lamb (9)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (6)
Spark Arena 4,908
4–9
14
15 December
@ Cairns
W 82–111
Anthony Lamb (29)
Lamb, Rubštavičius (8)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (8)
Cairns Convention Centre 3,584
5–9
15
22 December
Sydney
W 109–101
Anthony Lamb (24)
Mangok Mathiang (5)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (9)
Spark Arena 5,228
6–9
16
27 December
@ Brisbane
W 71–81
Anthony Lamb (18)
Anthony Lamb (13)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (7)
Nissan Arena 4,796
7–9 :
January: 3–4 (Home: 2–2; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
1 January
@ Tasmania
W 93–98
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (27)
Mangok Mathiang (7)
Will McDowell-White (6)
Derwent Entertainment Centre 4,340
8–9
18
7 January
Perth
L 102–108
Anthony Lamb (27)
Anthony Lamb (8)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (9)
Spark Arena 6,280
8–10
19
12 January
Melbourne
L 81–82
Anthony Lamb (22)
Zylan Cheatham (10)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (5)
TSB Stadium 2,632
8–11
20
14 January
@ Sydney
L 105–76
Izayah Le'afa (15)
Mangok Mathiang (5)
Anthony Lamb (5)
Sydney SuperDome 16,605
8–12
21
20 January
S.E. Melbourne
W 106–75
Anthony Lamb (31)
Mangok Mathiang (8)
Jackson-Cartwright, McDowell-White (7)
Spark Arena 4,940
9–12
22
26 January
Tasmania
W 94–88
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (25)
Cheatham, Mathiang (5)
Anthony Lamb (5)
North Shore Events Centre 2,272
10–12
23
28 January
@ Illawarra
L 89–85
Zylan Cheatham (19)
Zylan Cheatham (11)
Anthony Lamb (4)
Wollongong Entertainment Centre 4,239
10–13 :
February: 3–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
24
4 February
@ Perth
W 78–89
Zylan Cheatham (24)
Mangok Mathiang (9)
Jackson-Cartwright, Le'afa (5)
Perth Arena 12,975
11–13
25
9 February
Illawarra
W 88–85
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (31)
Zylan Cheatham (15)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (7)
Spark Arena 3,941
12–13
26
11 February
@ Melbourne
L 94–81
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (24)
Zylan Cheatham (12)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (5)
John Cain Arena 10,175
12–14
27
16 February
Brisbane
W 103–87
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (27)
Will McDowell-White (7)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (8)
Spark Arena 6,085
13–14
28
18 February
@ Adelaide
L 76–70
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (24)
Zylan Cheatham (13)
Zylan Cheatham (4)
Adelaide Entertainment Centre 9,513
13–15 :
2023–24 season schedule :

### Postseason

2024 finals game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–1) :
Play-in qualifier: 1–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
28 February
@ Sydney
W 76–83
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (34)
Mangok Mathiang (10)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (6)
Sydney SuperDome 8,231
1–0 :
Play-in game: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
4 March
@ Illawarra
L 88–85
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (19)
Zylan Cheatham (9)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (9)
Wollongong Entertainment Centre 5,178
0–1 :
2024 finals schedule :

## Transactions
### Re-signed

| Player | Date Signed | Contract |
| Alex McNaught | 27 March 2023 | 3-year deal |
| Will McDowell-White | 11 April 2023 | 2-year deal (club option) |
| Thomas Abercrombie | 10 May 2023 | 1-year deal |

### Additions

| Player | Date Signed | Contract | Former team |
| Mangok Mathiang | 13 June 2023 | 1-year deal | Hapoel Eilat |
| Mantas Rubštavičius | 14 June 2023 | 1-year deal (next star) | Lietkabelis Panevėžys |
| Dane Pineau | 20 June 2023 | 2-year deal | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix |
| Finn Delany | 13 July 2023 | 2-year deal | Telekom Baskets Bonn |
| Zylan Cheatham | 18 July 2023 | 1-year deal | Bayern Munich |
| Parker Jackson-Cartwright | 2 August 2023 | 1-year deal | Beşiktaş |
| Justinian Jessup | 10 August 2023 | 1-year deal | Zaragoza |
| Carlin Davison | 1 September 2023 | 3-year deal (club option) | Taranaki Airs |
| Dominique Kelman-Poto | 5 September 2023 | 1-year deal (NRP) | Franklin Bulls |
| Max Darling | 12 September 2023 | 3-year deal (club option) | Canterbury Rams |
| Anthony Lamb | 10 October 2023 | 1-year deal | Golden State Warriors |

### Subtractions

| Player | Reason left | Date Left | New Team |
| Jarrell Brantley | Free agent | 18 March 2023 | Utah Jazz |
| Barry Brown Jr. | Free agent | 15 May 2023 | Metropolitans 92 |
| Robert Loe | Retired | 7 June 2023 | Auckland Tuatara |
| Tom Vodanovich | Released | 21 June 2023 | Wellington Saints |
| Rayan Rupert | NBA draft | 23 June 2023 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Dererk Pardon | Free agent | 28 June 2023 | Altiri Chiba |
| Sam Timmins | Free agent | 20 July 2023 | Sydney Kings |

## Awards
### Club awards

* Club MVP: Parker Jackson-Cartwright
* Defensive Player: Izayah Le'afa
* Fan's Memorable Moment: Thomas Abercrombie
* Blackwell Community Cup: BNZ
* Clubman Award: Thomas Abercrombie
* Member’s Choice Award: Anthony Lamb