The Northern Group Tauranga Whai (1-1) v Night 'n Day Otago Nuggets (0-1)
On the 8th day of Mad March we have the Whai hosting the Nuggets as each team looks to bounce back from losses last time out as the Whai host their first home game for the Men's side in Rotorua. The question remains which team will right the ship offensively as the Nuggets get a fresh injection of import talent.
When: Wednesday 19 March, Rapid League 6pm, Sal's NBL 7pm
Where: Unison Arena, Rotorua
Watch: Live on Sky Sport 2 | USA: ESPN3 | International: FIBA YouTube
Boxscore here
Last Time Out:
The Whai were on the road at Franklin just 2 days ago in the midst of a defensive arm wrestle where they took the first lead of the ballgame 2-0. That would be the last lead they would taste as they would go down as many as 16 points in the first half. in the second half the Whai played some 'D' of their own and held the Bulls to 20 total points before the comeback ran out of time. Carter Hopoi (13pts, 6rbs) and Kruz Perrott-Hunt (11pts, 3rbs) hit double figures for the Whai but the squad shot just 17% from three on their way to a loss in the low scoring affair.
The Nuggets hosted their Southern rivals first up but, with lone import Jose Perez suiting up, were unable to match the depth of talent and energy the Sharks brought on the night as they went down 98-60. Perez (16pts, 9rbs, 4ast) and Christian Martin (16pts, 9rbs, 3ast) led the scoring but the offense was unable to make any consistent inroads while shooting 54% from the free throw line and 31% from the 3point line and 37% overall.
What to Watch For:
While both teams will look to pick up the level of offensive efficiency, as they currently sit in the bottom 4 in scoring offense and both shoot 38% shooting from the floor, they may both need to use defense to create some easy offensive opportunities. Otago will get a bit of help as imports Don Carey Jr. and Todd Withers will be available to inject some half court scoring power and depth to a team that desperately needed it. But their presence on defense may be more important after allowing the Sharks to shoot 56% from the field in the opener
The Whai will be hoping that their most recent arrival, Talib Zanna, will be able to find after getting his first taste of Sal's NBL action earlier in the week. Elsewhere for the Whai, the defense has been solid, but a lack of punch from the perimeter in the half-court was highlighted by their 61 point total against the Bulls where the starters hit just 1 of 18 attempts from three and outside of Jayden Bezzant (3-3 3pfg) the squad was 2-23 overall. Not ideal for the team shooting the most threes in the competition ( @33 attempts per game).
If the game is close and the Chemist Warehouse Stripe comes into play that will favour the Whai, who sit atop the league with an 86% clip while the Nuggets are currently last shooting just 54%.
Small Sample Size Stats:
Whai - Their 55% 3point rate is tops in the league, meaning their offense ends in shots from deep more than any other team. The Whai have uncharacteristically turned the ball over, with a 15% turnover rate (7th in league) and will have to be wary of a Nuggets squad that has the 4th highest steal percentage (13%) in the competition.
Nuggets - Boast a 36% free throw rate (3rd in league) but will need to hit more than their current 54% to take advantage of the opportunities. Their 13% steal rate (4th) will be bolstered by Todd Withers whose defensive prowess will lift the quality on that end of the court.
Matchup to Watch: Carter Hopoi v Jose Perez - this will be a true clash of styles as the ground bound strength of Perez clashes with the aerial artistry of the quickly developing Hopoi. But all that airtime won't help him on the box outs, where he'll need to put in extra effort to do his part to control the glass.
