Leon Henry rebounded from a disappointing effort to guide the Otago Nuggets to a dramatic 81-78 win against the Taranaki Mountain Airs in New Plymouth on Saturday night.
Henry had hoped to have a big game against his old club, the Wellington Saints, the previous evening but was held scoreless.
But the Breakers swingman put the setback behind him to lead the Nuggets to their fifth win this season, with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Henry rediscovered his touch from the three-point line with five from eight attempts.
"The key was making that extra pass on offence and limiting our turnovers from the night before," Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge said.
"We turned the ball over endlessly against the Saints and that is not how I want us to play.
"We were just really hungry for a win. Certain guys had to step up and just produce for us.
"When you have players of a certain calibre they have to show what they are capable off.
"I think Leon knew in himself [he did not have a good game] and hit some huge shots for us."
The captain, Antoine Tisby, has been impressive all season and was solid again with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Fellow import Akeem Wright could not repeat his 36-point haul against the Saints but filled out the statistics sheet with 12 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Unheralded guard Riki Buckrell also had a good match with 16 points. He had the confidence to cut to the hoop and take advantage of some tight marking on Tisby.
Mountain Airs import Darryl Hudson (22 points) had an opportunity to send the game into overtime but missed a three-point attempt with a few seconds remaining.
Jack Leasure had a game-high 28 points but the turning point came midway through the final period when the Nuggets outscored their opponent 12-2 to take a nine-point lead with about three minutes remaining.
While the win against the Taranaki Mountain Airs was definitely progress, the second-half capitulation against the Saints was reminiscent of the Nuggets of old.
They were outscored 64-26.
Oddly, the Nuggets had played so well in the opening half with Akeem Wright proving impossible to defend. He amassed 26 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.
The Nuggets (5-10) are out of playoff contention but it is their best season since 2003 when they won seven of their 18 games.
They should be able to improve on their record with a home game against bottom-of-the-table Harbour Heat on Saturday.
In other matches this weekend, the Hawkes Bay Hawks beat the Auckland Pirates 86-83 in Taradale to reclaim top spot.
The Saints backed up from their effort against the Nuggets to beat the Nelson Giants 88-71 in Nelson, and the Manawatu Jets smashed the hapless Southland Sharks 111-68 in Invercargill.
