Just like that, the NZ Breakers have their groove back on.

Back home after a mixed bag of a holiday season spent exclusively on the road (two losses, one big win in Melbourne last Sunday), the Breakers had too much for the lowly Adelaide 36ers to handle at a jam-packed NSEC tonight.

The defending Australian NBL champions led from pillar to post as they thumped the 36ers 80-63, leading by 10 after the first quarter, 13 at the major break and never raising a sweat over the run home.

It was impressive stuff from the Breakers as they mixed some seriously good defence with moments of magic on offence which, when they're in this sort of mood, comes pretty easily for the Kiwi club.

It was their seventh win in eight home matches this season and their 10th in a row over the 36ers who must now regard the trip across the Tasman with the same sort of anticipation a turkey has for Christmas.

The win also extends the Breakers' record to a league-best 12-5 and does nothing to dispel the theory that it's only the Perth Wildcats that stand between them and back-to-back championships.

Thomas Abercrombie paced the Breakers with a fabulous all-round display, racking up 22 points on a stellar nine-of-16 shooting, and adding four rebounds, two assists, a pair of steals and two blocks.

Cedric Jackson did his Action Jackson thing with 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while big Gary Wilkinson made a welcome return to form with 17 points and five boards.

We shouldn't forget about CJ Bruton either, the veteran guard well and truly rolling now as he tallied 10 points on four-of-eight shooting. BJ Anthony, Alex Pledger and Dillon Boucher also did their things off the bench.

After last Sunday's slump-busting victory in Melbourne, it was clear from the tipoff the Breakers had turned a corner with their confidence. None more so than Abercrombie who poured in 15 first-half points as he took up where he left off at the Tigers.

Voted by his peers the best athlete and dunker of the league, Abercrombie (6/7 FG, 2/2 3PT) showcased his range of skills to the second consecutive sellout crowd at the NSEC as he mixed alley-oop dunks with fadeaway triples to provide the impetus for a 43-30 halftime lead.

And if there was a play that defined where these Breakers are now, it came near the end of the first quarter when 35-year-young guard Bruton left some skin on the floor as he dived full stretch to gather a loose ball that eventually found its way, via Jackson, to Abercrombie up above the rim for a spectacular finish.

The crowd roared their approval, and this was the Breakers playing their style of hoops, mixing the gritty with the pretty. Long forgotten were those twin hiccups in Perth and Cairns.Normal service had resumed. And so it continued till the end. Adelaide kept trying - as they do - but there were no inroads to be made on this night. Next up on Thursday are the Melbourne Tigers as the Breakers will aim for a third straight sellout.

NZ Breakers 80 (Thomas Abercrombie 22, Gary Wilkinson 17, Cedric Jackson 11, CJ Bruton 10),

Adelaide 36ers 63 (Chris Warren Stephen Weigh ). 1Q: 26-16; HT: 43-30; 3Q: 65-46.

- © Fairfax NZ News