But that was cold comfort for coach Alf Arlidge. His side nursed a five or six-point buffer for the majority of the match but the visitors got in front with three minutes to play and held on for a dramatic victory in front of a boisterous crowd of about 1600.
"For about 95% of the game we controlled the tempo and we did all the things we wanted to do," Arlidge said.
"We kept them to a low score, we stopped them in transition and I thought we played some really good defence. But in those last minutes there were some turnovers and we missed a couple of easy shots."
"I'm really disappointed for the guys. They played really well but a couple of things just didn't go our way.
Perhaps the Sharks were just that little bit more desperate to win as well. With three minutes left and the Sharks trailing 68-67, former Tall Black point guard Mark Dickel made a sprawling dive to prevent the ball going out and scooped it back in to Brendon Polyblank, who in turn had to go to the floor to gather the ball in.
He put a toe out and the Nuggets got the ball back. But it was a inspirational moment which was rewarded with a turnover a few seconds later. The Sharks swept up court and American import Sylvester Spicer hit a mid-range jumper to give the visiting side its their first lead of the game.
The Nuggets had their opportunities in the dying moments. Centre Lance Allred got a decent bump in the paint and missed a reversed lay-up. He looked expectantly at the referee for the foul call which never came.
Moments later, captain Sam To'omata missed two free throw attempts which proved costly. The Sharks stretched their lead to five points when they rebounded a missed three-point opportunity from Craig Bradshaw. Dickel led a fast break and delivered a pinpoint pace to Spicer who finished the move emphatically with a dunk.
Nuggets point guard Scott O'Gallagher cut the gap to three points with a nice drive to the hoop and had an opportunity to send the game into overtime. With just a few seconds remaining on the clock, he sprinted up court, stopped at the arc and sent a wobbly shot clanging into the front of the rim.
The loss means the Nuggets have extended their losing streak to 29 games and have not won an NBL game since April 2008.
With an ounce more luck the Nuggets could have ended their drought but there were also some troubling signs.
O'Gallagher is a gutsy point guard who plays more like a small forward. He drove to the hoop with sometimes reckless regard for his own well-being. He is deadly accurate from the free throw line and scored a game high 22 points. But he also turned the ball over too many times and will need to work on his distribution.
Allred (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Bradshaw (12 points, seven rebounds) did a good job on the boards, but the Sharks outscored the Nuggets 30-16 in the paint.
The Nuggets will need to be more aggressive on the inside when they host the Hawkes Bay Hawks on April 29.
The outside shooting also remains an issue, although both sides struggled to find their range. Polyblank was the worst offender. He struggled from the onset and it was not until deep in the final period he finally landed a three-point attempt.
The Sharks shot a dismal 37% from the field while the Nuggets were marginally better at 40%.
Sharks guard Jordan Lawley got into early foul trouble and sat out most of the second period. But his haul of 13 points in the second half was probably the difference.
THE SCORES
• Southland Sharks 73
Jordan Lawley 19, Mark Dickel 13, Brendon Polyblank 12
• Otago Nuggets 70
Scott O'Gallagher 22, Lance Allred 15, Craig Bradshaw 12
• Quarter 13-19, halftime 31-37, third quarter 53-58.
