Southland Sharks (5-6, 8th) Night 'n Day Otago Nuggets (3-9, 10th)
The Sharks were improving their form coming into the international break and now have the big man that could be the key to reaching their next level but the Nuggets won't visit their closest rivals without looking to take them down a peg. The Nuggets will be down on talent but never down on pride as they look to take down their neighbours in the Southern Stoush!
When: Sunday 18th May, Rapid League 5:30pm, Sal's NBL 6:30pm
Where: ILT Stadium, Southland
Watch: Live in New Zealand on Sky Sport 6 | USA: ESPN3 | International: FIBA YouTube
Box score here
Last Time Out:
Southland welcomed the Rams prior to the international break, but the Rams wouldn't be welcome guests for long as they dominated play from the 2nd quarter onwards. The Sharks struggling with efficiency on offense but unable to compete on the interior and the glass where the Rams pulled a 19 rebound advantage that led to 22 second chance points while finding 50 points in the paint as Walter Brown (25pts), C.J. Penha (25pts), Kaia Isaac (24pts) and Sam Macdonald (21pts) all topping the twenty point mark for the Rams while Caleb Asberry (25pts, 4rbs, 3ast) was a bright spot on an otherwise dreary night as the
The Nuggets last played when they visited the Bulls prior to the break, and they came out with enough defensive pressure to force the home team to cough up 20 turnovers. Those turnovers led to 28 points for the Nugs, as the scoring of Jose Perez (20pts, 6rbs) kept the team with in touch distance. But staying in touch was all Otago could muster, cutting the lead under 5 points just once in the second half, as Tae Hardy (35pts, 7rbs, 10ast) showed his class in chase of a triple double while getting support from Till Gloger (21pts, 5rb) and Marcel Jones (17pts, 9rb, 3ast) upfront. The Bulls stretching the lead to 15 before eventually securing a comfortable 95-87 win.
What to Expect:
Prior to their last match the Sharks had been showing improving form as the season progressed and now that they are adding Sam Timmins to the mix they may have the formula to explode into the top 6. The presence of Timmins will have flow on effects all across the court. Josiah Allick (21.7ppg, 10.5rpg) will find life much easier with the big fella on his side, lifting his presence on the glass and allowing him to find a few buckets when not the focus of the defense's attention. Keylan Boone (20.8ppg, 7.9rpg) will initially move to the bench, but look for the Sharks to play a massive lineup, with Boone the de-facto small forward, that will challenge teams to match up effectively and keep the Sharks off the glass. Caleb Asberry (14.8ppg, 7.2apg) should see his assist numbers jump, but he might be most excited about the driving lanes that are sure to open up with more regularity. They are mega-prolific from the 3-point line but their high turnover rate takes away the effectiveness of their shooting from deep.
The Nuggets used the International break to reassess, and decided to move on from Jose Perez, and while the move may prove to improve their form in the long term, in the short term they will be at a mighty disadvantage down a big/import. The battle on the interior will depend on Jono Janssen to step into the centre position while Jaylen Sebree (14.8ppg, 5.4rpg) moves to power forward. With more minutes up front available we could see more of Mac Stodart (4.3ppg), who has impressed in stints, and Matthew Bardsley (4.2ppg) who is willing to fill in at any position. Offensively look for the gameplan to shift more responsibility to Don Carey Jr (22.3ppg, 6.4apg, 5.4rpg) and his prolific on ball game, but it will take a collective effort from local starters Josh Aitcheson and Patrick Freeman and a bench mob led by Darcy Knox impact the game consistently to give themselves a chance to win.
Matchup to Watch: Sam Timmins v All the Otago Bigs - Timmins had been a consistent stalwart for the Nuggets front line over the past few seasons, but the hometown kid took his game further South this season. The Nuggets will need to play as collective to limit the impact of the big fella, and if they don't get an upper hand early it could be a tough night for them in the Shark Tank.
Stats that Might Matter:
| Stat | Sharks | Nuggets |
| Scoring Offense | 89.45ppg (8th) | 90.08 (6th) |
| Scoring Defense | 93.36ppg (9th) | 96.75 (11th) |
| Effective Field Goal % | 56% (2nd) | 51% (9th) |
| Field Goal % Defense | 46% (8th) | 49% (last) |
| Free Throw Rate | 24% (10th) | 30% (4th) |
| Free Throw % | 75% (2nd) | 66% (last) |
| Three Point Rate | 45% (1st) | 45% (2nd) |
| Three Point % | 38% (1st) | 35% (4th) |
| Turnover Rate | 16% (10th) | 12% (9th) |
| Assist Rate | 65% (1st) | 59% (4th) |
| Offensive Rebound Rate | 23% (10th) | 26% (7th) |
| Defensive Rebound Rate | 72% (8th) | 74% (7th) |
| Block Rate | 9% (6th) | 6% (12th) |
| Steal Rate | 9% (7th) | 9% (6th) |
all advanced stats courtesy of spatialjam.com
