NBA hopeful Josh Giddey shot from mid-range to draw first blood in the contest.

Breakers forward Finn Delany answered right back.

The 25-year-old proved crucial for his team, finishing up with 23 points.

Delany pinned his recent form down to simply being aggressive as well as being well-supported by his team.

With whispers of Toronto Raptors scouts among the crowd, he wasn't fazed but also aware of the possibilities their presence had.

"It's a dream for any player ... [I'm] just focussed on right now and we'll see what happens in the future," Delany said.

A slam dunk from Breakers Captain Tom Abercrombie did its part in getting the team's growing Tassie fan-base riled up.

A staunch New Zealand defence yielded few fouls and converted well on the other side in the first, shooting 100 per cent from the paint (7 from 7).

The 36ers on the other hand drew costly fouls, and average shooting on offence did the team little favour.

The visitors managed to keep pace in the second, with an agile Giddey leading his team in transition and bringing his team within striking distance.

He became the youngest NBL player to record a triple-double, finishing the game with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

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The Breakers did what they could to limit the 18-year-old star, whose court vision was key to creating opportunities in the paint for his side.

A taller 36ers bench also allowed the team to create more mismatches on offence, but turnovers continued to hurt the team on the scoreboard.

The Breakers struggled to score entering the second quarter, but a Colton Iverson (10pts, 9 reb) slam dunk kept his team composed.

A string of New Zealand three pointers kept the home team at arm's length, with a graceful turnover lay-up from Levi Randolph putting the 36ers on the backpedal.

A nasty slip to the ground by Giddey gave 36ers fans a heart attack to start the third.

Fortunately for them, the young-gun got right back up and into the action.

"I think everybody takes a long pause right there because we sure as heck don't want see that kid hurt," 36ers coach Conner Henry said.

"He's got a promising future, he's playing at such a high level at 18 years old ... but he's a super kid - he bounced up and got on with it so I was happy to see that."

A physical Daniel Johnson (20 points) bullied his way to the rim to keep the 36ers in the game, while a laser-focussed Delany never lost his composure from a distance on the other side, shooting two crucial threes.

And while Breaker Will McDowell-White's importance in creating chances (13 assists) aided his team, the guard's scoring cold-streak (25 FG%, 0-5 3pt) dribbled into Monday night's game.

Points from fouls continued to hurt the 36ers, with the side committing eight in the third quarter alone.

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This was in spite of a courtside Adelaide fan's attempt to sway the Breakers' focus with their chirps. The Breakers entered the fourth with confidence and a 12-point lead.

New Zealand's form in the fourth wasn't perfect, but it was enough to run out the clock on the 36ers, whose early game mistakes and subsequent frustration saw them to a 16-point defeat.

Breakers coach Dan Shamir said after changing a few schemes in the first quarter, his side was able to drum up the stops on defence to get the win.

"Once we did that [made changes] we got a few more stops and kept playing with speed, sharing the ball, and getting good reads," Shamir said.

The Breakers will hit the road before playing in Launceston on Saturday night in an Apple Isle re-match against the Perth Wildcats.