The Nelson Giants are closing in on the top spot for the National Basketball League Finals.
After beating the Manawatū Jets by 25 points (96-71) on Wednesday, the Giants had to work harder in Saturday’s rematch in Palmerston North.
The Giants each beat Trey Mourning and Sam Thompson by 27 points and won 88-84 on the road, taking them to an NBL-best 11-4 of the season.
With just three rounds to go, Nelson is within easy reach of securing first place for the six-team final at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium from August 10-13.
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The top two qualifiers earn direct entry to the semi-finals.
This has been a season for Mike Fitchett’s Giants, who have been led by a fantastic American trio in Mourning, Thompson, point guard Jarrod West and Kiwi, the tough Sam Dempster.
Chris Symes/Photosport
Head coach Mike Fitchett and the Nelson Giants are at the top of the NBL ladder.
Nelson has not won the NBL title since 2007, when they defeated the Hawke’s Bay Hawks 2-0 in a then-best of three last series.
Last season, they competed and finished seventh in the 10-team competition with a 6-10 record.
The battle went on for the Auckland Tuatara, who looked to be the team to beat in the first half of the competition.
Chris Symes/Photosport
Giants US center Trey Mourning contributed 27 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Jets.
The Tuatara are still in second place with a record of 9-7, but slipped to their second consecutive home defeat – 103-91 lost to the bottom-seeded Southland Sharks.
Not much has gone well for the Sharks in 2022, but they may have caused the disruption to the season – hurting Auckland’s bid for a top two finish.
The Sharks put in a scorching offensive performance, taking 60% of the field (41/68) and drinking 15 threes at 53%.
Guard Mojave King scored the highest with 28 points, including five threes, while Alonzo Burton (20 points on 8/12 shooting) and Brayden Inger (14 points-11 rebounds) also did well.
Chris Symes/Photosport
American point guard Mike Smith shone for the Saints on Thursday in their victory over the Hawks.
Defending champion Wellington Saints kept their hopes for the final alive and won their third game in four starts since Troy McLean took over from Guy Molloy as coach after a 3-7 start.
Wellington delivered their best showing of the season, crushing the Hawks by 30 points 117-87 in a rematch of last year’s final.
Point guard Mike Smith led the way with 23 points and eight assists in the win. Xavier Cooks (21 points and six rebounds), Taane Samuel (19 points) and new import Reggie Upshaw (17 points and eight rebounds) also made for diligent outings.
Wellington still needs to win to stay in the final with their last four rounds against the Hawks, Jets, Giants and Tuatara.
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American power forward Javonte Douglas helped Taranaki lead past Canterbury with 18 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
The Hawks recovered 48 hours later on Saturday, taking a crucial 80-70 win over the Franklin Bulls to remain in the top six.
In Sunday’s games, the red-hot Taranaki Airs took five straight wins, beating the Canterbury Rams 87-70 in Christchurch.
American trio Anthony Hilliard, Shaun Willett and Javonte Douglas were again outstanding for the Airs, with 56 points and 31 rebounds.
Otago took an important win in their pursuit of a place in the final, beating the Jets 103-76 in Dunedin to improve to 8-7.
AT A GLANCE:
NBL round 12:
At TSB Arena, Wellington: Wellington Saints 117 (Mike Smith 23, Xavier Cooks 21, Taane Samuel 19, Reggie Upshaw 17, Kenneth Tuffin 14) Hawke’s Bay Hawks 87 (Ethan Rusbatch 24, Hyrum Harris 18, Tajuan Agee 12, Derone Raukawa 11, Jack Salt 10) 1Q: 23-20, HT: 55-46, 3Q: 90-62.
At Eventfinda Stadium, Auckland: Southland Sharks 103 (Mojave King 28, Alonzo Burton 20, Dom Kelman-Poto 15, Brayden Inger 14) Auckland Tuatara 91 (Dontae Russo-Nance 26, Siler Schneider 23, Brayden Iuli 18) 1Q: 21-28, HT: 50-44, 3Q: 78-58.
At Fly Palmy Arena, Palmerston North: Nelson Giants 88 (Trey Mourning 27, Sam Thompson 27, Sam Dempster 14, Jarrod West 11) Manawat Jets 84 (Robert Crawford 28, Shane Temara 16, Zane Najdawi 12) 1Q: 15-21, HT: 41-49, 3Q: 74-63.
At Franklin Pool & Leisure Centre, Pukekohe: Hawks 80 (Age 20, Rusbatch 16, Salt 16, Harris 12, Raukawa 10) Franklin Bulls 70 (Corey Webster 19, Jayden Bezzant 12) 1Q: 20-15, HT: 43-37, 3Q: 58-57.
At Cowles Stadium, Christchurch: Taranaki Airs 87 (Anthony Hilliard 19, Shaun Willett 19, Javonte Douglas 18, Richard Rodger 10) Canterbury Rams 70 (Matt Moyer 20, Larry Austin 18) 1Q: 15-17, HT: 32-31, 3Q: 58-48.
At Edgar Centre, Dunedin: Otago Nuggets 103 (Keith Williams 26, Todd Withers 25, Tray Boyd 18) Fighter Jets 76 (Crawford 22, Najdawi 20) 1Q: 25-18, HT: 60-40, 3Q: 79-53.
Position: Giants 11-4, Tuatara 9-7, Airs 9-5, Hawks 8-7, Nuggets 8-7, Bulls 7-7, Rams 7-8, Saints 6-8, Jets 5-11, Sharks 4-10.