Star's career-best form to Ignite Breakers' title defence

The New Zealand Breakers host Cairns at Spark Arena on Wednesday night as they begin the defence of their NBL Ignite Cup, presented by 7-Eleven.

One of the stars of last season's historic Cup final victory over Adelaide was Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who is averaging a career-best 26.3 points a game during the Hungry Jack's NBL27 Season.

"That final last year was amazing and such a great way for us to end a frustrating season," Jackson-Cartwright said.

"But that is in the past, and we must reset and be ready from the tip against a very good Cairns team [on Wednesday] night.

"We have [had] a challenging start to the season with the road trips, but we have to look after our own house and get a win tomorrow in front of our fans."

Read more >> Ignite Cup, NBL27: Schedule, tickets, rules & more

Games in the second-ever Ignite Cup contribute towards both the regular season and the in-season Cup ladder, with teams earning a point for winning each quarter, with a further three points going to the victorious side.

Breakers coach Gordie Herbert explained that while he will be mindful of the different scoring system, his 1-2 side will have numerous priorities during the fixture.

"The scoring system is a little bit different with points up for grabs in each quarter, so we will keep an eye on that," Herbert said.

"But the main objective is to win a game of basketball.

"I thought we were better last game [against Perth], but rebounding is our big area for improvement; we have to clean up on the number of offensive rebounds we are giving up."

A record $550,000 prize pool is up for grabs during the Ignite Cup, with four teams playing off in the Finals Series in Canberra in February.

This Spark Arena fixture at 5.30pm AEST is the first of Wednesday's double-header, with Sydney playing Brisbane in the second match at Afterpay Arena.