The Nuggets' thrilling 90-85 win against the Hawkes Bay Hawks in overtime at the Edgar Centre last night was not without controversy.
Nuggets captain Mark Dickel landed what the 2500-strong crowd and Nuggets bench thought was a brilliant buzzer-beater to win the game in the last split second of regular time.
The officials ruled the shot was made too late.
''We all thought Mark's shot on the buzzer made it,'' Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge said.
''That kind of deflated us but we stuck to our guns and, as I've said all season, defence is going to win us games and that happened tonight.''
The buzzer-beater-which-wasn't added to the drama and everybody left happy except the Hawks, who have slumped to 2-5.
The Nuggets are 8-0 and the best team in the league at the moment. The form of power forward BJ Anthony is a big part of why the Nuggets find themselves at the top of the standings halfway through the regular season.
Ten of his 25 points came in the fourth quarter and when the Nuggets needed them most. He also hit a crucial three-pointer in overtime.
''I think he is the best [in the league]. That's why we got him here. He played really well tonight. He got into some foul trouble but played through it.''
Dickel, who captains the side, is playing on 36-year-old legs but you would not know it watching him throw himself around the court. He went close to a triple-double with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
''He is the ultimate leader in New Zealand basketball. People just have to come and see him play. He's 36 and he just keeps going. I think he is a very special individual.''
