Matt Mooney and Mojave King combined for seven three-pointers in the first half in a hot start for the New Zealand Breakers to wrap up their NBLxNBA tour before Ousmane Dieng, Alex Ducas and the Oklahoma City Thunder prevailed 117-89.

The Breakers played their third match on their trip to the United States this week after an impressive start to NBL25 with wins against the Brisbane Bullets and South East Melbourne Phoenix.

They arrived at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, without the help of Next Star Karim Lopez, former NBA big men Jonah Bolden and Tacko Fall, along with veteran NBL center Dane Pineau.

The Thunder were also without a host of key players, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, but they did have former Breakers Next Star Dieng and West Australian product and Saint Mary’s alum Ducas for the match.

The Breakers then shot the lights out led by Mooney and King in the first half, scoring 36 points in the first quarter and 60 in the first half, but the Thunder worked from there for the eventual 28-point win.

Mooney finished as New Zealand’s top scorer with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 5/9 three-point shooting, with King contributing 16 points and five boards while shooting 5/9 from downtown.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright capped his impressive week against NBA opponents with another 16 points and eight assists, with Sam Mennenga adding nine points and three rebounds, and Grant Anticevich eight points and four boards.

Freddie Gillespie also had six points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Breakers, while Sean Bairstow added four points, four boards and three assists.

Former Breakers Next Star Ousmane Dieng finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Oklahoma City, while Alex Ducas also stood out with 15 points and four boards.

Adam Flagler top scored for the Thunder with 25 points, while Dillon Jones added 23 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.

Undeterred by the 55-point loss three nights earlier to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Breakers came out strong against Tulsa on Thursday night and were on fire with their shooting touch in the first quarter.

New Zealand scored 36 points in the opening period, with Matt Mooney on fire with four three-point bombs in the first five minutes of the match.

That helped the Breakers take a 36-34 lead by the end of the first quarter and still by halftime the scores were tied at 60-60 with Mooney and Mojave King combining for 25 points and shooting 7-8 from three-point territory. between them.

The Breakers found things a little tougher offensively in the second half, managing just 16 points in the third quarter and 13 in the fourth, with the Thunder ultimately winning by 38 points in the finish.

The Breakers now return to the NBL season on Thursday night away to the Brisbane Bullets before hosting the Perth Wildcats in their return home on Saturday.

NBLxNBA TOUR 2024

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 89 (Mooney 19, Jackson-Cartwright 16, King 16)

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 117 (Vlagler 25, Jones 23, Dieng 20)

BOX SCORE