The Property Brokers Manawatū Jets (7-4, 4th) NBS Nelson Giants (1-8, 11th)
The Jets have won 4 straight to find themselves sitting 5th while rolling out one of the more powerful offenses in the league while the Giants come to town having finally tasted victory, now they want to taste it again!
When: Sunday 4th May, Rapid League 12:30pm, Sal's NBL 1:30pm
Where: Fly Palmy Arena, Palmerston North
Watch: Live in New Zealand on Sky Sport 4 | USA: ESPN3 | International: FIBA YouTube
Box score here
Last Time Out:
The Panthers took to Palmerston North to take on the Jets with a few new faces to take on a Corey Webster-less Jets squad, but not having the third leading scorer in the league didn't have much effect on the home team as they dominated the second half by 27 points to win going way 106-70. Miles Gibson (30pts, 6rbs, 2stls), Dontae Russo-Nance (21pts, 8rbs, 6ast) Eric Williams Jr (18pts, 18rbs) and Kenny Goins (21pts, 10rbs, 5ast) providing the bulk of the attack while a young Cooper Lepou (27pts) shined in his first start of the season for the Panthers
A winless Nelson side traveled to Otago who was also looking to end a 4-game skid and fancied their chances, but the Giants found the lead early as Jeremy Combs (25pts, 11rbs, 5ast) looked in midseason form in just his second game with the team while Alex Robinson (14pts, 7ast) sliced his way through the defenses to create for himself and others. Jose Perez (32pts, 11rbs) did his best to bring the Nuggets back but in the end the Giants were too good and finally took home their first victory of the season (98-86).
What to Expect:
The Jets Corey Webster (24.7ppg, 5.1rpg, 6.8apg) sits third in the league in scoring and can get his shot off against any defense and has paired well with Miles Gibson (24.6ppg, 7.7rpg) who has been scoring nearly as well as a weak side option. Dontae Russo-Nance (20.2ppg, 5.2rpg, 3stls) leads the league in steals and has been steady on offense. Up front Isaac Miller-Jose (8ppg, 4.5rpg) and Kenny Goins (12.4ppg, 8.1rpg) will need to play above their measurables, but have been doing that with regularity of late. Eric Williams Jr (11.7ppg, 6.9rpg) is a wild card as he may be the most athletic player on the court but will need to find a way to deal with the size of the Giants.
The Giants will need to find a slower ball control pace to slow down the Jets, so will likely look to exert their size advantage behind Jeremy Combs (22ppg, 8.5ppg, 5apg) and Callum McRae (16ppg, 7.5rpg) on the block. Alex Robinson (14.5ppg, 5.8apg, 5.3rpg) has been the penetrating creator and scorer that the Giants were hoping he would be. Liam Judd (10.8ppg) will be looking to perform well against his former team (as will Lachy Crate off the bench) but the ability of the Giants to win may come down to hitting close to as many threes as the Jets, which will need Sam Dempster, Alex McNaught and Hayden Jones to find their range.
Matchup to Watch: Corey Webster v Alex Robinson - Two guards that puncture defenses in different ways, Webster with his impeccable footwork and the best mid-range game in the league and Robinson with his elite change of speed and shifty handle.
Stats that Might Matter:
| Stat | Jets | Giants |
| Scoring Offense | 100.64 (2nd) | 81.22 (11th) |
| Scoring Defense | 90.36 (4th) | 93.33 ()8th |
| Effective Field Goal % | 53% (6th) | 49% (10th) |
| Field Goal % Defense | 45% (7th) | 49% (10th) |
| Free Throw Rate | 23% (11th) | 27% (7th) |
| Free Throw % | 69% (8th) | 65% (12th) |
| Three Point Rate | 36% (11th) | 38% (8th) |
| Three Point % | 33% (7th) | 30% (last) |
| Turnover Rate | 9% (1st) | 13% (6th) |
| Assist Rate | 52% (11th) | 62% (3rd) |
| Offensive Rebound Rate | 28% (5th) | 27% (6th) |
| Defensive Rebound Rate | 74% (6th) | 73% (8th) |
| Block Rate | 9% (6th) | 7% (8th) |
| Steal Rate | 12% (1st) | 8% (last) |
all advanced stats courtesy of spatialjam.com
