The New Zealand Breakers eased fears they were poised to plunge into another debilitating slump with a rare victory over NBL champions Brisbane.

Facing the prospect of a third straight loss, the Breakers recovered from a sluggish start to record just their third win in 14 encounters with the Bullets, a 127-126 nailbiter at the North Shore Events Centre.

A flurry of points early in the penultimate term propelled the home side to a 19-point advantage but with Ebi Ere a constant menace, the Breakers had to endure some anxious moments down the stretch.

It took a brace of three-pointers from Phill Jones and another long-range effort from Kirk Penney to counter balance Ere's game-high 36 points and CJ Bruton's (18) belated emergence into a spine-tingling contest.

Bruton threatened to have landed the decisive blow in the three-point duel with one minute, 33 seconds remaining but veteran forward Tony Ronaldson coolly squared the contest from the free throw line before point guard Wayne Turner drained an open look to give the Breakers a precious 119-122 lead with 34sec remaining.

The Bullets were not done yet with Bruton again striking from outside the arc but calmness under pressure from the foul stripe by Jones and Mika Vukona saw the Breakers improve their win-loss record to 4-4 part way through the seventh round.

The Bullets slip to 8-3 but remain third

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