NBL Round 6: Nuggets are defeated by Giants

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most important game in the last round took place in Dunedin between second ranked Nuggets (5-4) and fifth ranked Giants (5-2) on Saturday night. Nuggets were defeated by Giants at home 89-78. American point guard Jarrod West (182-99, college: Louisville) had a double-double by scoring 27 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the charge for the winners and swingman Sam Dempster (194-1990) chipped in 19 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Keith Williams (196-98, college: WKU) with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Giants moved-up to second place. Nuggets at the other side dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. Giants are looking forward to face Bulls (#7) in Pukekohe in the next round where they are favorite. Nuggets will have a break next round.
Very important is a home loss of Airs (0-0) against tenth ranked Saints (2-5) on Sunday night. Host Airs were defeated by Saints in New Plymouth 103-92. American point guard Mike Smith (180-1997, college: Michigan) notched 30 points and 4 assists to lead the effort and Xavier Cooks supported him with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Even 36 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds by American swingman Anthony Hilliard (195-1986, college: ECSU) did not help to save the game for Airs. Defending champion moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Sharks. Airs at the other side still closes the standings with 0 game lost. Saints will play against Sharks (#8) in Southland in the next round. Airs will play at home against the league's leader Huskies (#1) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Tamatea. Second-best host Hawks (5-3) lost to first ranked Huskies (7-1) 99-88. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Hawks. The best player for the winners was Siler Schneider who had a double-double by scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Derone Raukawa who recorded 19 points and 5 assists. Hawks' coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Huskies have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 7-1 record. Loser Hawks dropped to the third place with three games lost. They share the position with Rams. Huskies will meet bottom-ranked Jets (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hawks will play against Sharks (#8) and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 6: Giants won against Sharks on the opponent's court 96-90. Rams managed to outperform Saints in a home game 90-83. Bottom-ranked Jets managed to beat Bulls on the road 84-76. Tuatara crushed Jets on its own court 87-59.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 15 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks by Chris Johnson of Tuatara.

Sharks - Giants 90-96

Rather expected game in Southland where 8th ranked Sharks (2-5) were defeated by fifth ranked Giants (5-2) 96-90 on Thursday. Giants outrebounded Sharks 39-27 including 30 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was American power forward Trey Mourning (206-96, college: Georgetown, agency: Interperformances) who had a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds. The other American import forward Sam Thompson (200-1992, college: Ohio St.) chipped in 23 points and 7 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Winston Shepard (203-1993, college: SDSU, agency: Slash Sports) who recorded a double-double by scoring 13 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists and forward Dominique Kelman-Poto (201-1994, college: Adelphi) added 18 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) respectively. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Giants moved-up to second place. Sharks lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the eighth position with five games lost. They share it with Saints. Giants will meet at home Bulls (#7) in the next round where they are favorite. Sharks will play against Saints in Wellington and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Giants: S.Thompson 23+7reb+1ast, T.Mourning 21+10reb+1ast, J.West 19+3reb+6ast, S.Dempster 10+11reb+4ast, N.Trathen 10+4reb+1ast, M.Alexander 6+1ast
Sharks: K.Mojave 21+1reb+2ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 19, D.Kelman-Poto 18+5reb+2ast, W.Shepard 13+12reb+6ast, J.Gerrand 10+1ast, R.Gill 4+5reb+1ast

Rams - Saints 90-83

Very predictable result in Christchurch where fifth ranked Rams (5-3) defeated 10th ranked Saints (2-5) 90-83 on Friday. Rams made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was international guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) who scored 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Australian guard Sunday Dech (195-1994, college: Barry) chipped in 28 points. Rams' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the other side the best for losing team was Australian forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) who recorded a triple-double by scoring 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and the former international forward Taane Samuel (200-1999) added 20 points respectively. Four Saints players scored in double figures. Rams moved-up to third place, which they share with Hawks. Defending champion Saints dropped to the eighth position with five games lost. They share it with Sharks. Rams will meet at home Bulls (#7) in the next round. Saints will play against Sharks and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rams: S.Dech 28+2reb+2ast, T.Britt 28+5reb+5ast, M.Darling 20+8reb, S.Smith 4+4reb+4ast, B.Josh 3+1reb, B.Walter 3+2reb
Saints: X.Cooks 22+12reb+11ast, T.Samuel 20+3reb+3ast, T.Vodanovich 17+4reb+2ast, T.Kenneth 12+2reb, M.Smith 7+1reb+3ast, J.Helu 3+2ast

Hawks - Tuatara 88-99

The game between Top Four teams took place in Tamatea. Second-best host Hawks (5-3) lost to first ranked Huskies (7-1) 99-88. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Hawks. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Huskies made 8 blocks. The best player for the winners was American guard Siler Schneider (191-95, college: UC Davis, agency: One Motive Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. The other American import power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) chipped in 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks. Schneider is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international guard Derone Raukawa (181-1994) who recorded 19 points and 5 assists and the former international forward Jordan Hunt (205-1997, college: S.Oregon) added 17 points respectively. Four Huskies and five Hawks players scored in double figures. Hawks' coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Huskies have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 7-1 record. Loser Hawks dropped to the third place with three games lost. They share the position with Rams. Huskies will meet bottom-ranked Jets (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hawks will play against Sharks (#8) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: N.Dontae 21+3reb+4ast, C.Johnson 21+9reb+2ast, S.Schneider 20+10reb+8ast, R.Loe 18+8reb+4ast, T.Fahrensohn 10+1reb, D.Fotu 7+5reb+1ast
Hawks: D.Raukawa 19+3reb+5ast, J.Hunt 17+2reb+2ast, Q.Bailey 12+6reb+1ast, J.Kenny 12+4reb+4ast, E.Rusbatch 10+5reb+3ast, T.Agee 8+7reb+1ast

Nuggets - Giants 78-89

The most important game in the last round took place in Dunedin between second ranked Nuggets (5-4) and fifth ranked Giants (5-2) on Saturday night. Nuggets were defeated by Giants at home 89-78. American point guard Jarrod West (182-99, college: Louisville) had a double-double by scoring 27 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the charge for the winners and swingman Sam Dempster (194-1990) chipped in 19 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Keith Williams (196-98, college: WKU) with 23 points and 8 rebounds and guard Nikau McCullough (190-97, college: St.Mary's, TX) scored 24 points. Giants moved-up to second place. Nuggets at the other side dropped to the fifth position with four games lost. Giants are looking forward to face Bulls (#7) in Pukekohe in the next round where they are favorite. Nuggets will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Giants: J.West 27+5reb+10ast, S.Dempster 19+9reb, S.Thompson 16+6reb, M.Alexander 9+2reb, R.Bensemann 8+1reb, T.Mourning 6+11reb+2ast
Nuggets: N.McCullough 24+3reb, K.Williams 23+8reb+1ast, T.McCall 9+5reb+4ast, T.Withers 8+4reb+2ast, S.Timmins 6+4reb+1ast, A.Jack 6+2reb

Bulls - Jets 76-84

There was a minor upset in Pukekohe where 7th ranked Bulls (2-4) were defeated by bottom-ranked Jets (1-6) 84-76 on Sunday. Jets shot 26 for 37 from the free-throw line, while Bulls only scored five points from the stripe. They outrebounded Bulls 49-36 including a 36-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Jets made 7 blocks. The best player for the winners was Jordanian-American center John Bohannon (211-1991, college: UTEP) who had a double-double by scoring 16 points and 16 rebounds. Naturalized American power forward Shane Temara (205-1995, college: N.Texas) chipped in 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international guard Jayden Bezzant (188-96, college: NW Nazarene) who recorded 21 points and 5 assists and the former international forward Leon Henry (200-85, college: S.Idaho JC, agency: BIG) added 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists respectively. Jets maintains tenth position with 1-6 record. It was Bulls' fourth loss in a row. They keep the seventh place with four games lost. Jets will meet at home league's leader Huskies in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Bulls will play against Rams (#4) in Christchurch and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Jets: S.Temara 21+6reb+4ast, Z.Najdawi 16+10reb+3ast, J.Bohannon 16+16reb+2ast, R.Crawford 9+2reb, S.Nathaniel 9+3reb, M.Pafe 8+4reb+6ast
Bulls: J.Bezzant 21+1reb+5ast, I.Davidson 14+3reb+3ast, L.Henry 12+10reb+5ast, T.Jett 9+5reb+1ast, K.Robinson 8+4reb, A.Rissetto 4+3reb

Airs - Saints 92-103

Very important is a home loss of Airs (0-0) against tenth ranked Saints (2-5) on Sunday night. Host Airs were defeated by Saints in New Plymouth 103-92. Saints made 20-of-23 charity shots (87.0 percent) during the game. American point guard Mike Smith (180-1997, college: Michigan) notched 30 points and 4 assists to lead the effort and Australian forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) supported him with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Five Saints players scored in double figures. Even 36 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds by American swingman Anthony Hilliard (195-1986, college: ECSU) did not help to save the game for Airs. His fellow American import forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) added 20 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Defending champion moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Sharks. Airs at the other side still closes the standings with 0 game lost. Saints will play against Sharks (#8) in Southland in the next round. Airs will play at home against the league's leader Huskies (#1) where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Saints: M.Smith 30+4reb+4ast, X.Cooks 20+11reb+1ast, T.Kenneth 16+5reb, T.Vodanovich 12+6reb+4ast, J.Ngatai 12+4reb+2ast, T.Samuel 11+1reb+1ast
Airs: A.Hilliard 36+7reb+3ast, J.Douglas 20+9reb+9ast, D.Carlin 9+3reb+6ast, T.Scott 8+4reb+1ast, R.Rodger 8+3reb+4ast, M.Jones 6+5reb+2ast

Tuatara - Jets 87-59

Everything went according to plan in Auckland where first ranked Huskies (7-1) outscored bottom-ranked Jets (1-6) 87-59 on Monday. Huskies dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Jets' 28. They outrebounded Jets 53-35 including a 39-26 advantage in defensive rebounds. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Huskies made 7 blocks. The best player for the winners was American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) who had a double-double by scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. The former international forward Robert Loe (211-91, college: St.Louis) chipped in a double-double by scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds. Four Huskies players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Robert Crawford (198-1990, college: Cent Arkansas) who recorded 19 points and Jordanian-American center John Bohannon (211-1991, college: UTEP) added 6 points and 10 rebounds respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Huskies have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 7-1 record. Loser Jets stay at the bottom place with six games lost. Huskies will again meet bottom-ranked Jets (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Jets will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: N.Dontae 17+5reb+2ast, C.Johnson 15+12reb+3ast, R.Loe 12+14reb+3ast, S.Schneider 10+4reb+1ast, I.Braydon 8+2reb, T.Fahrensohn 7+5reb+1ast
Jets: R.Crawford 19+3reb+3ast, S.Temara 11+3reb, Z.Najdawi 9+7reb+1ast, J.Bohannon 6+10reb+2ast, R.Lukah 4+3reb+1ast, S.Klein 3



Tags : JARROD WEST, MIKE PERO NELSON GIANTS, NEW ZEALAND BASKETBALL