Posted on Monday, June 17th, 2019
R10 Talking Points
Hawke's Bay Hawks 98 defeated Nelson Giants 90
Hawks - Brandon Bowman 32pts & 11rbs, EJ Singler 21pts, Daniel Kickert 20pts.
Giants - Rhys Vague 16pts & 14rbs, Tyrell Harrison 15pts, Dan Grida 14pts, Jordair Jett 14pts.
Stats That Matter - the Giants continue to struggle from the charity stripe, this time going 9/18 in an 8pt game.
TAB MVP Votes - Brandon Bowman (Hawks) 10, Mika Vukona (Giants) 8, EJ Singler (Hawks) 6, Rhys Vague (Giants) 4, Daniel Kickert (Hawks) 2.
Talking Points
- Another 10 vote haul in the TAB MVP race for Bowman has him rocketing up the leaderboard. Could we possibly see Bowman win this year's top individual award despite missing the first five games of the season for the Hawks?
- The Giants did a lot right in this game, however as we have seen so many times this season they just can't get the job done against the better teams. Six players ended up with double-digit scoring, but they just lack that one player who can go from high teens to high twenties.
- Daniel Kickert returned from injury and probably played more minutes (24) than what Coach Coronel had planned, but there is no doubt the Hawks looked more settled every time the classy veteran was on the floor. From here the Hawks need Kickert back to full strength and playing every week.
Canterbury Rams 97 defeated Southern Huskies 71
Rams - Emmett Naar 18pts, 3rbs, 5ast, Michael Karena 17pts & 4rbs, Isaiah Wilkins 15pts & 10rbs.
Huskies - Jalen Billups 17pts & 10rbs, Marcel Jones 14pts & 11rbs, Tre Nichols 11pts.
Stats That Matter - the Rams shot an efficient 56% from the field and a superb 47 % from deep.
TAB MVP Votes - Cam Gliddon (Rams) 10, Emmett Naar (Rams) 6, Mike Karena (Rams) 4, Isaiah Wilkins (Rams) 3, Tad Dufelmeier (Huskies) 3, Jalen Billups (Huskies) 2, Mason Bragg (Huskies) 1, Jordan Vandenberg (Huskies) 1.
Talking Points
- Defence wins you games, but shooting will determine by how much. The Rams are the stingiest team in the Sal's NBL when it comes to points allowed and they're also in the upper echelon for scoring efficiency. A very lethal combo.
- Everyone loves a comeback, but they're wishful thinking more often than not. The Huskies gave up far too many points in the second period and set themselves up for a very steep uphill battle. Games are won in the second half, but they're also thrown in the first.
- A third consecutive loss for the Huskies has put them back behind the Sharks and takes their fate out of their hands. Tomorrow night's game was already big game before this loss, but now it's been magnified. It's all on the line in Southland.
Nelson Giants 81 defeated Supercity Rangers 73
Giants - Jordair Jett 24pts, 3rbs, 7ast, Daniel Grida 14pts & 9rbs, Tyrell Harrison 12pts & 10rbs.
Rangers - Venky Jois 23pts & 10rbs, Tim Quarterman 15pts, 7rbs, 10ast, Nnanna Egwu 14pts & 5rbs.
Stats That Matter - The Giants out-rebounded the Rangers 45-36. While that difference isn't lofty, it certainly can have an influence in close games and it showed tonight.
TAB MVP Votes - Jordair Jett (Giants) 10, Venky Jois (Rangers) 7, Tyrell Harrison (Giants) 6, Tim Quarterman (Rangers) 3, Kruz Perrott-Hunt (Giants) 3, Nnanna Egwu (Rangers) 1.
Talking Points
- Neither team shot the ball well from three, but in the end it was the Giants slight advantage from two-point field goals that saw them close out the contest. Points inside aren't as glamorous as those shot from beyond the arc, but they're generally easier to come by and are better chance at drawing fouls on the opposition.
- Tim Quarterman showed that he was human after all. Don't be fooled by the guard's above-average stat line, he had a very quiet night at the office and to be fair it was inevitable. It just, unfortunately, came at a time when a game was genuinely up for grabs.
- Last night's loss to the Hawks isn't erased with tonight's win. The Giants really needed to go two from two in R10 and have now set themselves up for an even tenser finish to the season. Whatever way the Sharks vs Huskies game goes doesn't work in their favour, so they'll have to wait til next week to use their four leaf clover.
Southland Sharks 93 defeated Southern Huskies 73
Sharks - Todd Blanchfield 35pts & 8 treys, Alex Pledger 14pts, Dom Kelman-Poto 14pts, Tom Vodanovich 11pts & 12rbs.
Huskies - Marcel Jones 25pts & 10rbs, Jalen Billups 16pts.
Stats That Matter - the Huskies never led the game and it showed, especially off the glass where the Sharks held a convincing 59-29 lead, including 22 offensive rebounds.
TAB MVP Votes - Todd Blanchfield (Sharks) 10, Hyrum Harris (Sharks) 6, Marcel Jones (Huskies) 5, Jarrad Weeks (Sharks) 4, Tom Vodanovich (Sharks) 3, Jalen Billups (Huskies) 1, Tad Dufelmeier (Huskies) 1.
Talking Points
1. Are we done? Is the Final 4 now settled? The Sharks certainly have moved to the front of the race and it appears neither the Huskies or Giants will overtake them. In fact some may even argue the Sharks find themselves in the best for of the season. Maybe an ominous sign ahead of a likely title defence in July.
2. It looks like we are starting to see a defensive edge from the Sharks that has been missing for most of the season. If the Sharks can maintain their new-found defensive pressure it stands them in a far better position to defend their title. The 73pts scored by the Huskies was the lowest total against the Sharks in 2019.
3. If Todd Blanchfield gets going - look out. Not only did the Aussie sharpshooter dominate this game, he also landed another 8 triples, taking his total over the last games to 15 treys. He's got a hot hand right now.
Taranaki Mountainairs 78 lost to Wellington Saints 101
Airs - Derone Raukawa 25pts, Alonzo Burton 16pts.
Saints - Nick Kay 26pts @ 92%, Sunday Dech 16pts & 7stls, Jordan Ngatai 18pts
TAB MVP Votes - Nick Kay (Saints) 9, Sunday Dech (Saints) 9, Derone Raukawa (Airs) 6, Jordan Ngatai (Saints) 3, Chris Early (Airs) 2, Alonzo Burton (Airs) 1.
Talking Points
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The Airs shot an efficient 51% from the field and still lost by 20+. The Saints won’t be happy with much of their defence tonight, but their ability to get it done on the other end shows just how dangerous this team is.
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Five different players scored in double-digits for the Saints, showing yet again that it will take an otherworldly defensive effort to beat this team to the finish line. On any given night, seven different Saints have shown they can carry the scoring load and back it up on defence.
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Shea Ili only played 12 minutes tonight, before being ejected on the back of an unsportsmanlike foul and a technical foul. The star guard is sure to bounce back on Sunday evening with the Saints host the Jets.
Wellington Saints 107 defeated Manawatu Jets 85
Saints - Jordan Ngatai 20pts, Nick Kay 18pts & 14rbs, Rob Loe 17pts & 11rbs
Jets - Daishon Knight 33pts, Wally Ellenson 20pts.
Stats That Matter - the Saints dropped 60pts in the paint as Kay and Loe continually helped themselves to easy baskets, both on lay-ups and put-backs.
TAB MVP Votes - Daishon Knight (Jets) 9, Nick Kay (Saints) 8, Rob Loe (Saints) 7, Jordan Ngatai (Saints) 3, Wally Ellenson (Jets) 3.
Talking Points
1. The Saints stepped out after half-time with a defensive edge that coach Paul Henare will be hoping his team holds all the way from here. After giving up 54pts in the first half, the Saints were ruthless at the defensive end after the break as the Jets continually struggled to score and were held to just 28pts.
2. Nick Kay showed all the class that has him touted as one of the main candidates for this season's TAB MVP Award. Rarely does the star Aussie make bad decisions or throw the ball away. Yet again when the Saints needed momentum, Kay stepped up and delivered.
3. With Kuran Iverson ruled out, Daishon Knight and Wally Ellenson went to work and gave the fans plenty of highlights, especially in the first half. By the final buzzer the star duo had scored 53 of their team's 82pts.
