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For the first time in three years, the NZ Breakers are in the box seat of their Australian National Basketball League semifinal series.

The Breakers took care of business efficiently, rather than spectacularly, as they won their semifinal opener 81-64 over the outmatched Sydney Kings in front of 8314 fans at Vector Arena.

The back-to-back champions were always in control of a clash that followed the pre-game script pretty faithfully, leading by 11 at halftime, and as many as 17 in the third before settling on a 14-point advantage (59-45) going into the final period.

The Kings were never in this contest, never held the lead and never threatened to make a run that could have had the Breakers thinking deja-vu.

Three times previously the Breakers had played at the semifinal stage and they had never won a series opener, including consecutive home losses to start the championship campaigns of the previous two seasons.

So, they're already in bonus territory as they head to Sydney for Easter Monday's game two with the chance to close this contest out in two, which would also be a first for the champs at post-season time.

The Breakers took a while to get their offensive game into gear, but they were very solid defensively throughout - as you have to be at playoffs time. They kept the Kings to just 36 per cent from the floor and 22 from deep, while going at a 44/32 ratio themselves.

The Kings made stops at key times, but could never bite into the lead the Breakers had worked up midway through the second quarter because they could never convert often enough at the other end.

The Breakers were led, as per usual, by league MVP Cedric Jackson who did his thing with 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals.

It was heartening to see Tom Abercrombie get things rolling in the second half too, with all 15 of his points coming after the main break as he went five-for-six from the field over that span.

The hot hand and cool demeanour of Daryl Corletto added 12 points (4/8 FG, 2/4 3PT, 2/2 FT) while Mika Vukona (10 points, three rebounds, two assists), Alex Pledger (eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks) and the fit-again Will Hudson (eight points in just 10 minutes) all contributed handily.

Corey Webster's six breezy points in the first half also got things rolling nicely, and how about 37-year-old Dillon Boucher? He finished with four points, five rebounds, six assists and a steal in a display that wound back the clock a few years.

"That was a big game for us," said Corletto afterwards. "The last couple of years we've dropped the first game and we had a real focus on getting the win tonight.

"We'll go to Sydney now and look to take care of business."

Ben Madgen paced the Kings with 15 points and James Harvey added 10, but Shane Heal's side needed a lot more from both.

The first half was notable for one major advantage for the Breakers as they eased, rather than raced, to a 42-31 lead.

The hosts practically lived at the foul-line through the opening two quarters, with an 18-5 free-throw advantage that they converted at an 83 percent clip.

Both teams made 13 field goals for the half - the Breakers at a slightly better rate of 41 percent to 35 - and both shot the three-ball poorly. There was nothing in the rebounding count at the major break, nor points in the paint, and the Kings had an 8-2 edge in second-chance points.

But as the Kings kept sending their hosts to the line for the easiest points in the game, that lead grew into double-figures in the second period.

Jackson led the Breakers' first-half effort with 10 points and three steals as he took the ball to the rack with impunity, while old soldier Boucher reminded us of what we'll miss when he retires with three points, four boards and three assists.

The run the Kings needed never came after the intermission and it was all too easy for the Breakers as they took command of this series.

NZ Breakers 81 (Tom Abercrombie 15, Daryl Corletto 12, Cedric Jackson 11, Mika Vukona 10), Sydney Kings 64 (Ben Madgen 15, James Harvey 10). 1Q: 21-16; HT: 42-31; 3Q: 59-45.

- © Fairfax NZ News