It's fair to say Corey Webster enjoyed the final moments of this clash a little more than the last time he played Melbourne.
Two weeks after Webster and the Breakers were robbed of victory in Victoria, the shooting guard and his team found vengeance with a 80-69 win at Vector Arena.
Webster set a new career-high by pouring in 39 points and the Breakers (7-4) toppled the league-leading Melbourne (9-3) to remain unbeaten at home this season.
Today's win would have been especially sweet after what transpired the last time these teams met, when Webster was erroneously whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul in the dying seconds and the Breakers were denied by a solitary point.
"That was in the back of my mind," Webster said. "But, honestly, I wasn't thinking about that during the game.
I was just trying to help the team, however I could and luckily I shot the ball well."
That 'luck' was clear from the tip off, as Webster grabbed 14 points in the first quarter to begin as if on a personal quest for retribution. And he closed out the game in a manner that suggested he was leaving nothing to chance on this occasion, nailing four triples in the final period to turn a one-point deficit into a comfortable triumph.
Shooting 52% from the floor and draining seven-of-nine from deep, Webster contributed almost half of his side's total. But he was careful to credit his teammates for providing so many wide-open looks, the type of opportunities that cause a shooter of his calibre to lick their lips.
"They were just great screens from my teammates," he said. "When you hit a couple, you start to feel good about yourself and the rim seems like it gets a little bit bigger. But it's a credit to my teammates for getting me so open."
The best of those teammates was an under-strength Cedric Jackson, who overcome knee difficulties to record 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while the whole roster impressed as a defensive unit to restrict the league's best offence to their lowest total of the campaign.
Those combined efforts lifted the Breakers level with Perth into second spot and ensured the Kiwi club started a season 6-0 at home for the first time in their history.
That run combining with the hottest streak of Webster's career is certainly no coincidence. The 26-year-old clearly relished tonight's match-up with Melbourne's Chris Goulding - whose theatrical flop stole victory a fortnight previous - and Dean Vickerman paid particular mention to Webster's defensive efforts.
"That was something we spoke about," the coach said. "Out of [Webster] and Goulding, who was going to play the best defence? And I thought Corey did a hell of a job there."
But it was at the offensive end where Webster proved so influential, helping kick-start a side that went cold during the second quarter and headed to halftime behind by three.
"Both teams were struggling to score and Corey just worked hard to get open," Vickerman said. "That's one of the things he's doing right now - sprinting off screens, creating enough separation to get clean looks and obviously shooting the hell out of the three ball."
And with that radar showing no signs of faltering, Melbourne coach Dean Demopoulos confirmed Webster's current standing in a talent-stacked competition.
"There's a lot of fine players in this league but Corey's at the top of the list, for sure. He had a hell of a game."
Breakers 80 (Webster 39, Jackson 10, Abercrombie 9)
Melbourne 69 (Goulding 19, Holt 17, Kickert 13)
HT: 32-35
