Night 'n Day Otago Nuggets (3-3, 8th) v Mills Albert Wellington Saints (5-2, 1st)
The Nuggets return to the Edgar Centre after having lost on their homecourt last time out to snap a three game winning streak and now in desperate need of a win to pry their way back into the top six. But the visitors are the top of the table Saints who are looking to add onto a 3-game streak of their own to stay on the top rung of the ladder
When: Saturday 12th April, Rapid League 3pm, Sal's NBL 4pm
Where: Edgar Centre, Dundedin
Watch: Live in New Zealand on Sky Sport 2 | USA: ESPN3 | International: FIBA YouTube
Box score here
Last Time Out:
The Nuggets hosted the Tuatara and traded buckets early before Rob Loe(27pts, 7rbs, 5ast) and Buay Tuach (16pts, 5 rbs) picked up the pace and pushed Auckland into an eleven point lead in the second quarter that would stretch to 16 in the third. That's when Don Carey Jr. (29pts, 6rbs, 6ast) and Jose Perez (24pts, 8rbs, 3ast) found their form and helped the Nuggets surge to a 5 point 4th quarter lead. But Loe and Davo Hickey(31pts, 11rbs, 10ast) would respond with flair during a 15-2 that would give the visitors just enough breathing room to claim the eventual 97-94 victory.
The Saints went on the first leg of their Southern Swing and found a Josiah Allick-less Sharks squad waiting for them who would surprisingly still hold the lead halfway through the first quarter. Enter Shea Ili (13pts, 5rbs, 10ast, 19minutes played) and the game script moved heavily in the road teams favour as a balanced attack was highlighted by Nick Muszynski's (19pts, 12rbs) double double which would help the Saints march to a 93-72 victory.
What to Look for
Don Carey Jr (26ppg, 5.4rpg, 6.2apg) has been a dependable scoring option since day dot dropping at least 22 points every outing and is 9-9-22 3pfg over his last 2 games. While he carries the load on the perimeter Jose Perez (21.2ppg, 8.3rb, 6apg) mans the interior as a multi skilled hub for the offense. Jaylen Sebree (15.5ppg, 7rpg, 50% 3pfg) has provided shooting on the weak side and high level athleticism while Jono Jansen (16ppg, 4.3rpg) has provided extra size and scoring on the interior. They'll need to withstand the Saints pressure while hitting from three at their expected rate, but if they can take care of the defensive glass and limit second chance opportunities they'll be in good stead.
Shea Ili is back (13ppg, 10apg) and has given the Saints an extra gear on both ends of the court. When they go with their 3 guard lineup Izayah Le'afa (14ppg, 5.9apg) and Shaun Bruce (18.9ppg, 6apg, 4.7rpg) no ball handler is safe and the offense has extra zip heading down the court. that trio and Dougall-Mita will look to disrupt things in the half court defensively while playing with pace on offense. Even with three guards they have the size up front as Nick Muszynski (15.7ppg, 9rpg, 2blks) sets up for position down low to catch drop offs or crash the glass and he'll have a size advantage once again. Hyrum Harris (14.6ppg, 10.3rpg, 5.3apg) will be a hub of activity, but will need to use his fouls judiciously to keep on the court.
Small Sample Size Stats:
The Nuggets have the 6th highest scoring offense (90.83ppg) and offensive rating (113) while claiming the 8th best effective field goal percentage (51%), 4th best assist rate (62%), 4th highest 3-point rate while getting to the line with the second most frequency (32%) in the league with the best percentage in the league from deep (37%). Looking at the possession game they have the 5th best defensive rebounding rate (74%), 6th best offensive rebounding rate (26%), 2nd best turnover rate (11%) and 8th best steal rate (9%). Defensively they allow the 4th most points (93.17ppg) while giving up the second highest effective field goal percentage (56%).
Wellington is scoring the 3rd in the league in scoring (95.86), offensive rating (116) and effective field goal percentage (54%). They have the best assist rate (65%), 4th highest free throw rate (29%) and boast the 5th highest 3-point rate while shooting the 2nd best percentage from deep (36%). Looking at the possession game they have the 4th best defensive rebound rate (76%), 8th best offensive rebound rate (25%), 5th best turnover rate (13%) but the 2nd lowest steal rate (8%). Defensively they allow the 5th most points per game (88.43) with the 6th best defensive rating (107) while allowing the 7th highest effective field goal percentage (51%).
Matchup to Watch: Don Carey Jr v Shea Ili - When Carey Jr finds space on the perimeter to drop trey's the Nuggets offense reaches another level but Ili (and Le'afa and Bruce) will be relentless with their pressure. How he handles the heat will determine the heights of the Nuggets offense.
all advanced stats courtesy of spatialjam.com
