Isaac Fotu was the star as the Tall Blacks beat hosts China 89-82 and booked a spot in the Stankovic Cup final yesterday morning.
The win means the Kiwis go into the final (played overnight) against Mexico with three wins from as many games, including a 78-67 win against Mexico earlier in the week.
Fotu poured in 34 points on 13 of 20 shooting from the field in the win, 24 points more than the Kiwis' next top-scorer, Everard Bartlett (10 points).
The Tall Blacks, who opted to rest star guard Corey Webster, started slowly and trailed for much of the first half.
However, Fotu turned things up a gear in the third and fourth quarters on his way to a career best performance in the black singlet.
He was almost unstoppable inside, accurate with his jump shot, and drilled a three-pointer to ice his performance.
''My team mates gave me confidence to keep shooting the ball, so that's what I did,'' he said.
''I was just feeling it and had great support from my team mates. My focus is usually first and foremost on rebounding and my offence flows from that, but tonight I knew I had to step up with Corey not playing.''
After the Stankovic Cup final, the Tall Blacks head to Australia for the first match of the Oceania Series in Melbourne next weekend.
