The Nuggets have not beaten the Giants on their home court since 2002 -11 long years ago - but came close on Saturday night.
The game was still in the balance with a couple of minutes remaining. It was a mighty struggle between two of the competition's heavyweights but it was the home side which prevailed 87-82.
Tall Blacks and Breakers power forward Mika Vukona inspired his team with a 20-point haul, including 10 from 10 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed eight rebounds.
Classy small forward Josh Pace top-scored for the Giants with 22 points.
Nuggets forward BJ Anthony produced a game-high 24 points and Akeem Wright chipped in with 17 points.
While Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge was disappointed his side did not get the win, he was satisfied with the effort from his team during its double-header. The Nuggets beat the Manawatu Jets 110-102 on Friday night to clinch a semifinal spot.
Arlidge did not believe the effort involved in winning that fixture or the fact some pressure had been lifted, having already qualified for the playoffs, had robbed his side of its edge.
''I don't think so,'' Arlidge said yesterday.
''We treated this like a finals weekend so we would know what we are up against. The boys were obviously a little bit tired but that can't be an excuse at all.
''What it has shown us, is when we get up to Napier for the finals weekend, you've just got to be able to back up.
''They executed well at the end, and we had two or three open looks but just missed. It was a really good game and I thought we played quite well. It probably could have gone either way.''
The Nuggets have not featured in the playoffs since 1997. Having confirmed their spot, Arlidge said the goal was to finish in the top two.
''That's been our goal, to finish in the top two. We've still got three tough games to go but a lot of the other teams also have a tough series of games.''
Ideally, the Nuggets will be able to hold on to their place at the top of the standings to get the slightly easier semifinal and the earlier time slot.
The top team at the end of the round-robin phase will play the fourth-ranked team, with second playing third in the other semifinal on July 13.
The final is the next day, so the earlier time slot is an advantage worth chasing.
The Nuggets host the Wellington Saints on June 30. The winner of that match will probably seal top spot.
The Nelson Giants (9-3) are well placed to reach the semifinals, with the Southland Sharks and Jets battling for the remaining spot.
The Nuggets can do the Jets a favour with a win against the Sharks in Invercargill on Friday night.
The Nuggets' final round-robin match is in New Plymouth against the Taranaki Mountain Airs on July 6.
