The American posted a rare triple-double with 17 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. He even made five steals but he did not make the two shots that counted.
With just two seconds remaining in the game, Payne found himself at the free throw line with his side trailing 77-76.
He got there by some desperate work.
He grabbed a rebound from a missed free throw attempt by Lindsay Tait and had run the length of the court only to get swamped by defenders.
He missed a tough shot but remarkably grabbed his own offensive boards and then got fouled.
So there he was.
He just needed to pop the ball in the hoop twice but that is where the fairytale ended for Payne.
He missed both.
The Saints kept their perfect record this season and the Nuggets recorded their first loss.
What do you say to someone who has played an incredible game only to come up short in the final moments?
''That is just basketball,'' player-coach Mark Dickel said.
''No-one needs to say anything to you. That is how it goes. Without him playing that great game, we would not have got into that position.
''The only thing you can say to somebody is, 'Look, get into the gym and shoot as many as you can every day and hopefully it turns around for you'.
''But it is not such a big deal. We didn't lose because of his free throws at the end - we lost because of myriad of reasons throughout the game.''
Fellow import Warren Carter had his best game for the Nuggets with 20 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three blocks.
Brendon Polyblank topped scored for the Nuggets with 21 points but Dickel did not play.
The Nuggets beat the Canterbury Rams 82-64 on Saturday night in Christchurch and the 38-year-old played a key role.
But he is aware he needs to manage his workload these days in order to give himself the best chance of getting through the season.
Saints guard Corey Webster was deadly from the outside and also made some silky drives to the basket to collect 25 points.
Lindsay Tait scored 21 points and made seven assists, and Dion Prewster had a strong game with 14 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Imports Elijah Obade and Ernest Scott both got into foul trouble which left the Saints undersized.
While Dickel was disappointed with the loss he said he could no find fault with his side's effort.
''You always want to get the result but I don't have anything to say except positive things. Sometimes the results don't go your way but we certainly put in the effort. If we do that often enough, then we'll win our fair share of games.''
While the Nuggets could have won the game, the visitors trailed until levelling the scores in the dying moments. Tait drilled a free throw to put the Saints back in the lead.
Earlier, the home side cleared out to a 16-6 lead and was threatening to open up a more sizeable gap.
The Nuggets were clearly missing Dickel's skills at point guard but soon found parity through Carter.
The 2.04m centre used his size to get inside for some easy baskets and give his side some momentum.
The Saints produced scoring spurts midway through the second period and towards the end of the third quarter to maintain a useful buffer.
But the Nuggets outscored their opponents 20-13 in the final quarter and will not be feeling too discouraged having lost.
Without Dickel the Nuggets showed they can still get into positions to win games which is a tremendous positive to come out of the fixture.
Ironically, this was perhaps the Nuggets' best performance this season.
In the other match yesterday, the Hawkes Bay Hawks beat the Manawatu Jets 81-72.
NBL
The scores
Wellington Saints 77
Corey Webster 25, Lindsay Tait 21
Otago Nuggets 76
Brendon Polyblank 21, Warren Carter 20
Quarter scores: 21-16, 45-35, 64-56
