NBL Round 3 (Regular Season): Nuggets keep a leadership position

There were just three rounds played in Regular Season of NBL and we can clearly see which teams will fight for top positions and which will try to avoid bottom places. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Nuggets defeated Hawks in Tamatea 93-86. Nuggets looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was a good game for American guard Donald Carey (196-1999, college: Maryland) who led his team to a victory with 34 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds (went 11 for 11 at the free throw line !!!). Dominican forward Jose Perez (196-1998, college: Arizona St.) contributed with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists for the winners. American forward Darnell Cowart (203-1998, college: Murray St.) answered with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds for Hawks. Hawks will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. Nuggets will try to continue on its current victory against Jets in Palmerston North.
Sharks (1-1) recorded a loss in Christchurch. Visitors were rolled over by Rams (2-1) 120-84. It was a great evening for international guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) who led his team to a victory scoring 27 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Kaia Isaac helped adding 27 points (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). The best for the losing side was American forward Keylan Boone (203-2000, college: UNLV, agency: Interperformances) with 26 points (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Rams will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Sharks will play on the road against Saints (#7) in Wellington and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in Pukekohe between Hawks and Bulls. Hawks (3-1) got a very close victory on the road over Bulls (3-1). Hawks managed to escape with a 2-point win 87-85 in the fight for the first place. It was an exceptional evening for Darnell Cowart who led the winners and scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Tae Hardy came up with 20 points and 5 assists for Bulls in the defeat. Hawks will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Bulls will play against Giants in Nelson and hope to secure a win.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 3: Saints beat Giants on the road 94-86. Winless Panthers lost to Bulls on its own court 93-107. Airs outscored Tuatara in New Plymouth 102-79. Winless Panthers were rolled over Jets at home 77-122.
The most impressive performance of 3rd round was 32 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists by Miles Gibson of Jets.



Giants - Saints 86-94

But Giants were not able to use a home court advantage and were defeated by the opponent from Wellington 94-86 on Thursday night. Saints made 25-of-30 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game, while Giants only scored five points from the stripe. It was an exceptional evening for Australian guard Shaun Bruce (192-1991) who led the winners and scored 23 points and 5 assists. International guard Izayah Leafa (188-1996, college: Sacramento St.) accounted for 22 points and 7 assists for the winning side. Saints' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Brice Johnson (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: DBA Reed) came up with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 11 rebounds and forward Liam Judd (196-2001) added 19 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) respectively for Giants in the defeat. Five Saints and four Giants players scored in double figures. Saints will meet at home Sharks (#8) in the next round. Giants will play against Bulls where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Giants: B.Johnson 25+11reb, L.Judd 19+5reb, C.Dalton 11+8reb+3ast, S.Dempster 11+5reb+1ast, H.Jones 8+3reb+4ast, J.Forbes 4+3reb+2ast
Saints: S.Bruce 23+4reb+5ast, I.Le'afa 22+7ast, N.Muszynski 17+7reb+2ast, H.Harris 17+8reb+2ast, N.Marshall 12+5reb+2ast, K.Evans Jr. 2

Panthers - Bulls 93-107

Very expected game when Panthers (0-3) lost to Bulls (3-1) in Auckland 93-107 on Friday. Bulls looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Bulls made 10 blocks. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Tae Hardy (190, college: UTEP) who led the winners and scored 21 points and 9 assists. Australian forward David Okwera (208-2002) accounted for 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winning side. American point guard Alex Robinson (185-1995, college: TCU) came up with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and point guard Jaylen Gerrand (183-1996, college: Umpqua CC) added 29 points respectively for Panthers in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Bulls will meet Giants (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Panthers will play against Whai and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Panthers: J.Gerrand 29+2reb+2ast, A.Robinson 23+7reb+5ast, D.Matakatea 15+6reb+1ast, C.Lepou 10+4reb+2ast, L.Henry 8+10reb+1ast, S.Paea 5+1reb
Bulls: R.Te Rangi 21+3reb+5ast, T.Hardy 21+3reb+9ast, D.Okwera 20+7reb+3ast, T.Gloger 15+4reb, P.Hughes 12+2reb+1ast, T.Cameron 9+6reb+3ast

Hawks - Nuggets 86-93

Nuggets defeated Hawks in Tamatea 93-86. Nuggets looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was a good game for American guard Donald Carey (196-1999, college: Maryland) who led his team to a victory with 34 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds (went 11 for 11 at the free throw line !!!). Dominican forward Jose Perez (196-1998, college: Arizona St.) contributed with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists for the winners. American forward Darnell Cowart (203-1998, college: Murray St.) answered with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds and Clifton Bush III (198-2002) added 14 points and 11 rebounds in the effort for Hawks. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Hawks will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. Nuggets will try to continue on its current victory against Jets in Palmerston North.
Top scorers:
Hawks: D.Cowart 24+10reb+3ast, J.Ball 19+1reb+5ast, C.Scott 19+4reb+4ast, C.Bush III 14+11reb+2ast, J.Murphy 7+2reb+3ast, K.Kara 2+3reb
Nuggets: D.Carey 34+5reb+3ast, J.Perez 20+9reb+9ast, T.Withers 16+5reb+2ast, C.Martin 11+1ast, C.Smiler 6+1reb+3ast, P.Freeman 2+3reb+1ast

Rams - Sharks 120-84

Sharks (1-1) recorded a loss in Christchurch. Visitors were rolled over by Rams (2-1) 120-84. Rams shot 62.0 percent from the field and made 19-of-23 charity shots (82.6 percent) during the game. Rams forced 21 Sharks turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 25 assists. It was a great evening for international guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) who led his team to a victory scoring 27 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international guard Kaia Isaac (185-2003) helped adding 27 points (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). Five Rams players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American forward Keylan Boone (203-2000, college: UNLV, agency: Interperformances) with 26 points (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and the other American import forward Josiah Allick (203-2001, college: Nebraska) scored 10 points and 7 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Rams will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Sharks will play on the road against Saints (#7) in Wellington and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sharks: K.Boone 26+4reb+1ast, A.Burton 11+4reb+2ast, J.Allick 10+7reb+2ast, T.Cooper 10, D.Bertinshaw 8, J.Helu 7+2reb+3ast
Rams: K.Isaac 27+3reb+3ast, T.Britt 27+5reb+6ast, T.Isaac 21+3reb+6ast, M.Darling 13+3reb, T.Smith-Milner 10+6reb+3ast, S.Smith 6+5reb+3ast

Bulls - Hawks 85-87

A very close game took place in Pukekohe between Hawks and Bulls. Hawks (3-1) got a very close victory on the road over Bulls (3-1). Hawks managed to escape with a 2-point win 87-85 in the fight for the first place. Hawks made 20-of-25 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. They also forced 21 Bulls turnovers. Strangely Bulls outrebounded Hawks 40-28 including 29 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Darnell Cowart (203-1998, college: Murray St.) who led the winners and scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. The former international guard Jackson Ball (191-2008) accounted for 19 points and 4 assists for the winning side. American guard Tae Hardy (190, college: UTEP) came up with 20 points and 5 assists and Australian forward David Okwera (208-2002) added 10 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for Bulls in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Hawks will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Bulls will play against Giants in Nelson and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Bulls: T.Hardy 20+3reb+5ast, M.Jones 15+10reb+1ast, R.Te Rangi 11+3reb+4ast, T.Gloger 11+5reb, T.Cameron 11+1ast, D.Okwera 10+12reb+4ast
Hawks: J.Ball 19+3reb+4ast, D.Cowart 17+7reb+8ast, C.Bush III 13+4reb+2ast, J.Murphy 13+1reb+2ast, C.Scott 13+5reb+6ast, K.Kara 10+3reb+2ast

Tuatara - Airs 79-102

Rather predictable result when Airs (2-1) rolled over Tuatara (0-2) in Auckland 102-79 on Sunday. Airs dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Tuatara's 24. They outrebounded Tuatara 43-25 including a 34-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. Airs looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was an exceptional evening for Carlin Davison (197-2003) who led the winners and scored 25 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Australian center Harrison Froling (210-1998, college: Marquette) accounted for 23 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side. Five Airs players scored in double figures. American swingman Buay Tuach (198-1995, college: LMU, agency: Haylett Sports) came up with 27 points and the former international forward Thomas Vodanovich (201-1994, college: JMU) added 22 points respectively for Tuatara in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Airs will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Tuatara will play against Whai (#3) in Tauranga and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: B.Tuach 27+3reb+3ast, T.Vodanovich 22+3reb+3ast, J.Wylie 9+1reb+3ast, C.Pride 9+5reb+3ast, D.Wilkie 7+2reb, C.Wyllie 3+1reb+2ast
Airs: C.Davison 25+9reb+6ast, H.Froling 23+11reb+2ast, O.Foxwell 20+2reb+10ast, J.Andrew 15+9reb, A.Fletcher 10+5reb+1ast, Q.Bailey 5+2reb

Panthers - Jets 77-122

Not a big story in a game when Panthers (0-3) were outscored by Jets (2-1) in Auckland 122-77 on Sunday. Jets made 21-of-27 free shots (77.8 percent) during the game. Jets outrebounded Panthers 53-37 including a 37-24 advantage in defensive rebounds. Jets looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 16 passes made by Panthers' players. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Miles Gibson (198-1998, college: Binghamton) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 32 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists. The former international Corey Webster (188-1988, college: Lambuth) accounted for 28 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals for the winning side. Five Jets players scored in double figures. American point guard Alex Robinson (185-1995, college: TCU) came up with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists and point guard Jaylen Gerrand (183-1996, college: Umpqua CC) added 15 points respectively for Panthers in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jets will meet Nuggets (#9) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Panthers will play against Whai and hope to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Panthers: A.Robinson 23+8reb+10ast, J.Gerrand 15+1reb+1ast, S.Paea 7+1reb+1ast, D.Matakatea 7+1reb, R.Laumatia 7+1reb+1ast, L.Henry 6+8reb+1ast
Jets: M.Gibson 32+17reb+4ast, C.Webster 28+9reb+8ast, E.Williams Jr. 18+4reb+4ast, D.Russo-Nance 14+2reb+4ast, K.Goins 10+7reb+3ast, T.Thata-Paese 8+2reb+1ast