The bubble had to burst eventually and it was one of the National Basketball League heavyweights who popped the Otago Nuggets' winning-streak.
Pre-season favourites the Wellington Saints posted a 102-93 win in the capital last night to bring the Nuggets eight-game winning-streak to a halt.
The Nuggets (8-1) are still well- placed to end their 16-year playoff drought but were schooled by a very talented Saints side.
Classy point guard Lindsay Tait ran the show but it was Corey Webster's stage.
He torched the Nuggets with 32 points, including five from nine from the three-point line.
Tait bagged 20 points, even rebounds, and 11 assists, while American import Bryant Markson was flawless in the first half with six from six from the floor and finished with 24 points.
BJ Anthony, who has made an impressive start to the campaign, was kept below his season average (23.1) with 18 points.
He ran into foul trouble and eventually fouled out which did not help.
The Saints also did a nice job keeping him away from the hoop. He landed just eight of his 22 shots from the floor.
The bustling power forward has been so valuable for the Nuggets but had a rare off night.
Hayden Allen top-scored with 22 points.
"We were out rebounded 35-23 tonight and that did not help,'' Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge said.
"And we had a lot of good looks but didn't knock down a lot of shots. Akeem [Wright] had an off night, which you get. BJ fouled out and Corey Webster shot five of nine and was really good tonight.''
The Nuggets' defence, which has previously been so uncompromising, struggled with the tempo and was caught out in transition.
Tait engineered their demise. His acceleration and vision kept his team on the front foot.
The tone was set in the first quarter with the Saints shooting out to a 28-18 lead.
The Nuggets gained parity in the second spell and trimmed the margin by two.
Otago kept battling and got to within four points. Webster hit a three from deep and rather snuffed out any momentum the visit ing side was able to generate.
Moments later, he hit a tough fade-away jumper over out stretched arms. He really is class.
The Nuggets might have got closer had they cashed in from the free throw line. The Nuggets shot 14 from 21 with Wright missing more than his share.
Still, the Nuggets trailed by seven with 10 minutes to go and the game was there for the taking.
But you cannot leave Webster open and he kept slipping free and hitting big shots.
Ominously, former Breakers player Rick Rickert was on the sidelines watching the match.
Word is he has signed with the Saints.
