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R6 Talking Points – What We Know So Far

Nelson Giants 83 lost to Hawke's Bay Hawks 103

Giants - Jordair Jett 20pts, Dan Grida 18pts, Jarrod Kenny 10pts & 12ast.

Hawks - EJ Singler 27pts, Daniel Kickert 23pts, Brandon Bowman 20pts.

Stats That Matter - The Hawks dropped a a massive 19 triples from 38 attempts, which in the end proved too much for the Giants to handle. A whopping 27 assists and 24pts from fast breaks also proved pivotal for the winners.

Sal's Pizza MVP - EJ Singler (Hawks) with 27pts, 5rbs, 2ast, 2stl and 6 treys.

TAB MVP Votes

EJ Singler (Hawks) 10, Daniel Kickert (Hawks) 8, Brandon Bowman (Hawks) 5, Jordair Jett (Giants) 5, Tyrell Harrison (Giants) 1,  Dan Grida (Giants) 1.

Talking Points

1. Once again the Giants got away to a blistering start on their home deck, something they have done a few times already this season. Up by as much as 14pts in the first quarter, the home team couldn't hold the ascendency and as the Hawks fought back they then grabbed momentum and pushed clear down the stretch.
2. The Hawks have a beautifully well-rounded team with a very methodical approach to every possession. This is a team that plays to structure and does it patiently. When the open floor presents itself they seemingly have a green light, but when the opposition has numbers behind the ball the focus is on sticking to structure. It's a great brand of basketball.
3. As quickly as the Hawks soar, the Giants are sliding rapidly. Three losses on end and a trip to Tasmania has Nelson's finest right on the edge. After a 3-1 start at home the Giants and now 3-4 and desperately need to fly home from Tassie and a meeting with the Huskies is a winning mood.

 

Canterbury Rams 89 defeated Southland Sharks 75

Rams - Mike Karena 16pts, Tony Tolovae 15pts, Taylor Britt 14pts, Emmett Naar 14pts, Isaiah Wilkins 4blks.

Sharks - Alex Pledger 16pts, Tom Vodanovich 13pts, Dom Kelman-Poto 13pts.

Stats That Matter - It was a woeful shooting night for the Sharks, a 37% shooting night to be exact. At the other end the Rams went at a 50% clip. Game over. Worth noting the Sharks also had 12 more shots than the Rams.

Sal's Pizza MVP - Tony Tolovae (Rams) with 15pts, 6rbs, 2ast, 2 treys.

TAB MVP Votes

Tony Tolovae (Rams) 6, Cam Gliddon (Rams) 5, Mike Karena (Rams) 5, Taylor Britt (Rams) 4, Alex Pledger (Sharks) 4, Dom Kelman-Poto (Sharks) 3, Emmett Naar (Rams) 2, Jarrad Weeks (Sharks) 1.

Talking Points

1. The Rams not only got the job done at the offensive end, but they turned up the heat defensively and the Sharks struggled to fire against it. Todd Blanchfield (4pts on 2/10) and Jarrad Weeks (11pts on 4/16) didn't have the best of nights and will want to quickly shake it off before Sunday night's clash with the Saints.
2. Tony Tolovae arrived to the Rams late after his Euro gig, and after a couple of weeks of acclimatising to a new coach, some fresh teammates and new systems, he has moved into the starting line-up and fitted right in. Competitive at both ends, Tolovae is exactly what the Rams need to go all the way this season, a versatile wing who can lock-down at one end and equally turn it on at the other.
3. It's a tight race in 2019 and the fans are loving it. Once again the Canterbury faithful came out in big numbers and with Rams doing everything right we could be in for a massive Final 4 at Horncastle Arena on July 20/21. Hope you've got your tickets! 

 

Wellington Saints 108 defeated Supercity Rangers 75

Saints - Jordan Ngatai 19pts, Rob Loe 17pts.

Rangers - Tim Quarterman 26pts.

Stats That Matter - this game was one-way traffic all night with the Saints winning the rebounds 49-29, the assists 25-9, bench points 45-25 and to emphasise the home team's domination, all 12 Saints hit the scoresheet. 

Sal's Pizza MVP - Jordan Ngatai (Saints) with 19pts, 5rbs, 5ast, 3 treys. 

TAB MVP Votes - Jordan Ngatai (Saints) 10, Rob Loe (Saints) 6, Tim Quarterman (Rangers) 6, Shea Ili (Saints) 6, Venky Jois (Rangers) 2.

Talking Points

1. The Saints barely raised a sweat in this one, racing to a commanding lead early and pushing the advantage to as much as 38pts. The local fans loved the chance to see all 12 players in action and stayed right to the end to celebrate a thumping win.
2. Not for the first time this season Jordan Ngatai delivered the goods. While everyone talks about the likes of Kay, Loe, Ili and Te Rangi, their starting mate Ngatai is putting together a very strong 2019.
3. Tim Quarterman did everything he could for his team, but far too often he was flying solo and just didn't have enough scoring options around him. At the defensive end the Rangers looked out of sync and just had too many holes. It was a long night for the visitors. 

 

Southern Huskies 93 defeated Nelson Giants 91

Huskies - Jalen Billups 24pts, Craig Moller 20pts & 10rbs, Marcel Jones 20pts, Tre Nichols 16pts.

Giants - Jordair Jett 20pts, Rhys Vague 16pts & 13rbs, Dan Grida 15pts.

Stats That Matter - The Giants did a lot right in this game, but in such a tight finish an 8/15 (53%) performance from the charity stripe stands out for the visitors.

TAB MVP Votes - Jordair Jett (Giants) 9, Jalen Billups (Huskies) 8, Rhys Vague (Giants) 6, Marcel Jones (Huskies) 3, Craig Moller (Huskies) 2, Tre Nichols (Huskies) 1, Bronson Beri (Giants) 1.

Talking Points

1. What a heartbreaker for the Giants. With Marcel Jones sinking a lay-up in the dying seconds it was the Huskies toasting the win and the Giants left dejected with a fourth consecutive loss and, perhaps, their finals aspirations in tatters. In such an even season, the Giants need to find a run of wins very quickly if they hope to stay in touch with the top four.
2. There would have been a lot of nervous Huskies onlookers as the seconds ticked down. After seemingly being in a winning position (and losing) against the Saints and Sharks in recent weeks, the home team simply had to get the win over the Giants to keep their finals hopes alive. They did that and now move on to a run of games against the Jets, Airs and Rangers - all very winnable games.
3. The Giants continue to prove they are a very tough unit, but after a 3-1 start to the season they are 0-4 over a demanding fortnight and will need to regroup quickly with two games against the unbeaten Wellington Saints coming up over their next three games.

 

Taranaki Airs 96 defeated Supercity Rangers 77

Airs - Derone Raukawa 23pts, Dane Brooks 23pts, Alonzo Burton 18pts.

Rangers - Tim Quarterman 31pts, Venky Jois 13pts & 12rbs.

Stats That Matter - Once again the Rangers were soundly beaten on the board, the Airs winning the count 53-37. Off the bench the Airs also won the battle 39-11, a result that went a long way to the home team cleaning their first win of the season.

TAB MVP Votes - Dane Raukawa (Airs) 8, Dane Brooks (Airs) 7, Tim Quarterman (Rangers) 6, Houston O'Riley (Airs) 5, Alonzo Burton (Airs) 2, Venky Jois (Rangers) 2.

Talking Points

1. The Airs have finally secured their first win of the season. After making some tough decisions on players heading into round 5, where they were humbled by the Hawks and lost by 9pts to the Rangers, the Airs stepped back out today and found some confidence with a badly-needed win.
2. The Rangers will return home from a disaster weekend where they copped 33pt and 19pt losses, the second of which was somewhat of an upset at the hands of the Airs. The gap to the top four is starting to widen now for the Rangers and gauged by what we saw over the weekend it could be a long, cold winter ahead.
3. With guard-trio Raukawa, Brooks and Burton teaming for 64pts, it once again showed the Ranger just don't have depth or scoring punch in the guard positions outside of Tim Quarterman,. The former NBA player is doing all he can for his team, but he just hasn't got enough around him right now. 

 

Manawatu Jets 107 lost to Hawke's Bay Hawks 134

Jets - Daishon Knight 26pts, Wally Ellenson 19pts, Kuran Iverson 17pts & 11rbs.

Hawks - Brandon Bowman 29pts & 10rbs, EJ Singler 29pts, Ethan Rusbatch 24pts, Dion Prewster 20pts.

Stats That Matter -The Hawks continue to enjoy shooting from long range, this time dropping 20 triples from a staggering 48 attempts. Take note - if you don't get out to the Hawks, they're going to shoot, shoot, shoot!

TAB MVP Votes - EJ Singler (Hawks) 10, Brandon Bowman (Hawks) 8, Ethan Rusbatch (Hawks) 4, Daishon Knight (Jets) 3, Kuran Iverson (Jets) 2, Shane Temara (Jets) 2, Taane Samuel (Jets) 1.

Talking Points

1. The Hawks continue on a run that is no doubt making a few sit up and take notice. The brand of basketball the Hawks have delivered this round has been fun to watch. After blasting the Giants on Thursday night, they didn't give the Jets much of a look-in here either.
2. If you love long-rage shooting, then you'll love what the Haws are doing right now. All up for R6, the Hawks dropped an incredible 39 triples from a staggering 86 attempts. Zico's chargers have a green light and they are most certainly taking it. Surely opposition defences are going to adapt soon, aren't they?
3. EJ Singler and Brandon Bowman are starting to make for a very formidable import duo, and then of course you have the sublime Daniel Kickert working his way back to health and form helping to make the three-headed monster at the Hawks one which has the potential to take them all the way this season.

 

Southland Sharks 77 lost to Wellington Saints 122

Sharks - Jordan Ngatai 24pts & 6 treys, Sunday Dech 24pts & 6 treys, Nick Kay 20pts, 7rbs, 8ast & 5stl, Shea Ili 16pts & 8ast, Reuben Te Rangi 14pts, 7rbs & 6ast.

Saints - Jarrad Weeks 18pts, Dom Kelman-Poto 16pts.

Stats That Matter - 21 triples at 48%, 29 assists, 15 steals .... need we say more?

Sal's Pizza MVP - Nick Kay (Saints) with 20pts @ 72%, 7rbs, 8ast, 6stl, 2blk and 2 treys. 

TAB MVP Votes - Nick Kay (Saints) 9, Jordan Ngatai (Saints) 9, Shea Ili (Saints) 6, Jarrad Weeks (Sharks) 3, Alex Pledger (Sharks) 2, Dom Kelman-Poto (Sharks) 1

Talking Points

1. The Saints are on a mission - make no mistake, last year's runners-up have redemption on their mind and they will willingly steamroll any opponent with zero mercy. At no stage did the visitors take the foot off the pedal in this game, it seemingly looked like they took great pleasure in rubbing their arch enemy's nose in it.
2. The 'Tassie Travel' factor is about to be spoken about loudly across the league. Other than the Saints, who very luckily escaped with a 2pt win against the Jets, every other team returning from Tasmania has looked utterly flat and come out winless. 
3. The Sharks are on the slide and need to turn it all around very quickly. Losses to the Rams and Saints this round has deflated them and next up they have the hot Hawks paying them a visit for Thursday Night Lights. Get in front of your television next Thursday night folks because we're about to see what the reigning champs are made on.