Skipper Jason Smith has rescued Australia from a second straight defeat to New Zealand hitting 24 points to lead the Boomers to a 79-78 win over the Tall Blacks at the Derwent Entertainment Centre in Hobart on Monday night.

Going into the third game of the four-match series locked at one win each, New Zealand look odds on to inflict another heavy defeat for the Boomers when it led by 19 points midway through the second quarter.

But Smith, who hit 4-of-7 three-pointers in his team-high 24-point haul, turned the match for the home team and steered Australia to the narrow victory.

Australia was under the pump two hours before the match when Sam Mackinnon made an emergency dash to be with his pregnant wife who was going into labour and it seemed to leave the home team in disarray.

The Boomers, who won game one by two points in overtime but lost the second match by a record 19 points, started the match abysmally, regularly turning the ball over as Kiwi sharp-shooter Phill Jones (25 points) took Australia's defence apart.

The Tall Blacks also gave the Boomers a lesson on the boards in the first two quarters but when the visitors went quiet at midway through the third quarter the Boomers mounted a spirited revival.

The Australians found their groove and went into over-drive sinking and incredible 19-of-29 field goals (65.5 per cent) to erode the Tall Blacks lead and, at the death, overhaul the kiwis.

"Very disappointing," New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin said.

"For the first three-quarters we shot the ball very well, but we lost this game at the defensive end. I would go so far as to call (our defence) laziness."

Australia coach Brian Goorjian had mixed feelings after the match.

"I think we've got a long way to go but (tonight's win) certainly didn't hurt," Goorjian said.

"Once we got to that point a little flicker of confidence came back and the guys started making plays and it started to move forward."

"There was effort there and we hit some shots, got desperate and got a contribution from everybody."

"We haven't turned the corner yet, we've taken a step forward."

Australia leads the four-game series 2-1. The last match of the series will be played in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Australia 79
Smith 24, Bogut 9, Bruce 9, Anstey 9

New Zealand 78
Jones 25, Olsen 12, Hill 9