NBL Round 19 (Regular Season): Jets are defeated by Giants

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between third ranked Jets (10-6) and tenth ranked Giants (5-11) was the most important one in the last round on Sunday night. Jets were crushed by Giants in Nelson 109-89. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Jets. Giants had a 35-21 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 35 assists comparing to just 18 passes made by Jets' players. Americans were the main players on the court. It was a great evening for guard Andrew Jones (193-1997, college: Texas) who led his team to a victory scoring 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) helped adding 21 points and 6 rebounds. Giants' coach Michael Fitchett used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side guard Quinton Rose (203-1998, college: Temple) responded with 36 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds. Giants maintains tenth place with 5-11 record. Jets at the other side keep the third position with six games lost. Giants are looking forward to face Nuggets (#11) in Dunedin in the next round. Jets will play at home against Tuatara (#6) and are hoping to win this game.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Tamatea. 4th placed host Hawks (9-9) were smashed by second ranked Rams (12-2) 110-78. It was an exceptional evening for Australian guard Sean Macdonald (188-2000) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. Taylor Britt accounted for 23 points. Australian swingman Daniel Grida (195-1998) came up with 18 points and 6 rebounds for Hawks in the defeat. 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 have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader. Hawks lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth place with nine games lost. Rams will play against Whai (#8) in Tauranga in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hawks will have a break next round.
An interesting game took place in Auckland where 6th ranked Tauranga (8-8) was upset on the court of ninth ranked Tuatara (8-7) 78-59 on Sunday. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Tauranga. Luther Muhammad fired 21 points and 7 assists for the winners. Mojave King produced 16 points and 5 rebounds for lost side. Tuatara moved-up to sixth place. Loser Tauranga dropped to the seventh position with eight games lost. They share it with Sharks. Tuatara will meet league's second-placed Saints in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Whai will play against the league's leader Rams (#1) in Christchurch and hope to secure a win.

In the last two games of round 19 Giants lost to Whai on the opponent's court 84-102. Nuggets unfortunately lost to Airs in a home game 78-92.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 15 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists by Robert Loe of Tuatara.



Whai - Giants 102-84

Very expected game when 10th ranked Giants (5-11) were defeated on the road by sixth ranked Tauranga (8-8) 102-84 on Friday. Whai looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 16 passes made by Giants' players. Naturalized American swingman Mojave King (196-2002) fired 24 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists for the winners. The former international power forward Anzac Rissetto (208-2001, college: Charlotte) chipped in 24 points and 6 rebounds (on 11-of-13 shooting from the field). Four Tauranga players scored in double figures. American power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) produced 27 points and 6 rebounds and the other American import guard Andrew Jones (193-1997, college: Texas) added 18 points respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the third consecutive win for Tauranga. Despite that victory Whai went down to seventh position due to points difference, which they share with Sharks. Loser Giants keep the tenth place with 11 games lost. Whai will meet league's leader Rams in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Giants will play against Nuggets (#11) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Whai: M.King 24+5reb+9ast, A.Rissetto 24+6reb+2ast, J.Bezzant 19+4reb+6ast, C.Hopoi 12+7reb+3ast, K.Perrott-Hunt 9+3reb+6ast, D.Brooke 7+3reb+2ast
Giants: J.Combs 27+6reb+1ast, A.Jones 18+3reb+2ast, S.Dempster 12+3reb, C.McRae 9+5reb+2ast, A.Robinson 9+6reb+6ast, H.Jones 6+4reb

Hawks - Rams 78-110

The game between Top Four teams took place in Tamatea. 4th placed host Hawks (9-9) were smashed by second ranked Rams (12-2) 110-78. Rams dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Hawks' 42. Rams players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. It was an exceptional evening for Australian guard Sean Macdonald (188-2000) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. International guard Taylor Britt (188-1996, college: Southeast CC) accounted for 23 points for the winning side. Four Rams players scored in double figures. Australian swingman Daniel Grida (195-1998) came up with 18 points and 6 rebounds and the former international guard Jackson Ball (191-2008) added 16 points respectively for Hawks in the defeat. 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 have an impressive series of eight victories in a row. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader. Hawks lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth place with nine games lost. Rams will play against Whai (#8) in Tauranga in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Hawks will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Rams: T.Britt 23+3reb+2ast, T.Smith-Milner 19+9reb, C.Penha 19+5reb, S.Macdonald 16+5reb+10ast, W.Brown 10+4reb+1ast, T.Isaac 9+1reb+3ast
Hawks: D.Grida 18+6reb+3ast, J.Ball 16+4reb+3ast, L.Yates 10+10reb, K.Treacher 9+4reb, W.Swaka 7+1reb, J.Murphy 7+3reb+1ast

Nuggets - Airs 78-92

Very predictable result in Dunedin where fifth ranked Airs (9-6) defeated 11th ranked Nuggets (3-13) 92-78 on Saturday. Airs made 23-of-30 free shots (76.7 percent) during the game. Airs outrebounded Nuggets 42-30 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Airs looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Nuggets' players. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Airs made 12 blocks. Carlin Davison (197-2003) fired 20 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists for the winners. Australian-German forward Craig Moller (203-1994) chipped in a double-double by scoring 17 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks. Four Airs players scored in double figures. American guard Donald Carey (196-1999, college: Maryland) produced 34 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds and the former international Jonathan Janssen (205-1995, college: HPU) added 19 points and 10 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Airs moved-up to fourth place. Nuggets lost their eleventh game in a row. They keep the eleventh position with 13 games lost. Airs will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Nuggets will play against Giants (#10) in Nelson and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Airs: C.Davison 20+8reb+9ast, C.Moller 17+16reb+2ast, J.Andrew 14+10reb+1ast, A.Fletcher 13+2reb+2ast, D.Dut 9+3reb+4ast, D.Kelman-Poto 9+2reb+4ast
Nuggets: D.Carey 34+7reb, J.Janssen 19+10reb+2ast, J.Sebree 9+5reb+1ast, M.Bardsley 4+1reb, C.Martin 4+1reb, P.Freeman 4+1ast

Giants - Jets 109-89

The game between third ranked Jets (10-6) and tenth ranked Giants (5-11) was the most important one in the last round on Sunday night. Jets were crushed by Giants in Nelson 109-89. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Jets. Giants had a 35-21 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 35 assists comparing to just 18 passes made by Jets' players. Americans were the main players on the court. It was a great evening for guard Andrew Jones (193-1997, college: Texas) who led his team to a victory scoring 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) helped adding 21 points and 6 rebounds. Four Giants players scored in double figures. Giants' coach Michael Fitchett used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side guard Quinton Rose (203-1998, college: Temple) responded with 36 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds and forward Miles Gibson (198-1998, college: Binghamton) scored 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Giants maintains tenth place with 5-11 record. Jets at the other side keep the third position with six games lost. Giants are looking forward to face Nuggets (#11) in Dunedin in the next round. Jets will play at home against Tuatara (#6) and are hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Giants: A.Jones 21+6reb+8ast, J.Combs 21+6reb+2ast, L.Judd 17+3reb+2ast, H.Jones 16+8reb+3ast, C.McRae 14+8reb+3ast, A.Robinson 9+4reb+15ast
Jets: Q.Rose 36+5reb+3ast, M.Gibson 21+8reb+4ast, D.Russo-Nance 17+4reb+5ast, I.Miller-Jose 9+8reb+2ast, D.Collins 6+7reb+1ast, T.Matambanadzo 0+2ast

Tuatara - Whai 78-59

An interesting game took place in Auckland where 6th ranked Tauranga (8-8) was upset on the court of ninth ranked Tuatara (8-7) 78-59 on Sunday. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Tauranga. American guard Luther Muhammad (191-1999, college: Arizona St.) fired 21 points and 7 assists for the winners. The former international power forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) chipped in a double-double by scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Five Tuatara players scored in double figures. Naturalized American swingman Mojave King (196-2002) produced 16 points and 5 rebounds and the former international guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt (191-2000, college: S.Dakota) added 12 points respectively for lost side. Tuatara moved-up to sixth place. Loser Tauranga dropped to the seventh position with eight games lost. They share it with Sharks. Tuatara will meet league's second-placed Saints in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Whai will play against the league's leader Rams (#1) in Christchurch and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: L.Muhammad 21+4reb+7ast, R.Loe 15+12reb+5ast, Z.Riley 13+5reb, T.Vodanovich 11+6reb+2ast, B.Tuach 10+5reb+1ast, D.Fotu 6+6reb+2ast
Whai: M.King 16+5reb+2ast, K.Perrott-Hunt 12+4reb+3ast, J.Bezzant 10+1reb+2ast, C.Hopoi 9+8reb, A.Rissetto 8+8reb, S.Bairstow 4+7reb+5ast