Too intense.
And above all, way too good.
The Otago Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak as they dispatched the Franklin Bulls 103-82 in Auckland last night.
It was a dominant display and, aside from a mid-game run by the Bulls in which the margin closed to seven, the side rarely looked in danger of losing.
The Nuggets played a zone defence all night and the Bulls did not have an answer.
They lacked any plays to run against the zone and relied on shooting their way to victory from deep.
While those shots fell during that mid-game run, they did not the rest of the game.
They took 42 three-pointers, making just 16.
In contrast, they took just 32 two-point shots and got to the line just four times.
It was a sign of a team that lacked structure and the zone completely negated the Bulls’ dangerous scoring threats.
The Nuggets brought far more intensity, particularly on the glass.
They pulled in 23 offensive rebounds and grabbed 59 boards in total, to Bulls’ total of 33.
Centre Sam Timmins was key in that regard, pulling down another 16 rebounds.
He put on a clinic in the second half, scoring the majority of his 31 points after halftime and proving unguardable down low.
Import duo Geremy McKay and Isaiah Moss were similarly impressive.
Each had eight rebounds while McKay got to the hoop to rack up 23 points and Moss hit six from beyond the arc to tally 24 points.
It was intelligence as much as skill that earned the Nuggets those points.
They targeted mis-matches to obtain easy looks against players that were unable to guard them.
The Nuggets made a strong start spurred on by a 12-point first quarter from McKay.
The Australian forward attacked Bulls’ opposite Denhym Brooke, getting to the hoop and drawing fouls.
Moss found his range from the three-point line early.
They provided the scoring, while at the other end the Bulls settled for a series of contested mid-range shots.
While they were able to stick with the Nuggets early, Otago took a 28-20 lead to the first break.
That ballooned to 36-20 early in the second, as McKay continued to attack and Moss hit another from deep.
At that point the Bulls began looking to score from outside, essentially riding on whether or not they hit shots.
Import forward Zane Waterman (21 points) hit a bunch of those and his 17 points helped the Bulls back into the game.
But the Nuggets kept a high intensity, crashing the boards hard and keeping the score ticking over to lead 54-44 at halftime.
The Bulls came out in a zone of their own to begin the second half, although it was short-lived.
The Nuggets continued to find ways to score and while the Bulls continued to hit shots early, those dried up.
That enabled the Nuggets to pull out to a 78-58 lead, continuing to out-work a Bulls side which played the majority of the second half without an injured Josh Selby.
From there the Nuggets pulled away.
The Bulls hit several more three-pointers, but Timmins took over to ensure the lead was never threatened.
The Nuggets are back on court tomorrow, facing the Auckland Huskies in the second game of their Auckland road trip.
