The Nuggets are still basking in last year’s championship run. They won five games on the trot to claim their first full National Basketball League championship.
That momentum has followed them into this season. They have won their first three games and remain the only unbeaten team in the league.
That eight-game winning streak is the second longest in their history — they won 10 in a row in 2012-13 — and they will be hoping to extend the run with a win over the Nelson Giants in Dunedin tonight.
The Nuggets will have to soldier on without star centre Sam Timmins, who is unavailable due to a prior commitment.
Jack Andrew stepped up last season when Timmins was unavailable, and Robbie Coman will help fill the void.
Todd Withers, fresh from a 31-point game against the Taranaki Airs, and fellow import JaQuori McLaughlin will carrier heavier loads.
Harris, who hails from Mount Gambier in South Australia, will be hoping to find his range.
The 23-year-old shooting guard has taken a little time to settle since arriving from the Perth Wildcats.
His outside shooting game has been cold, but he chipped in with 18 points to help the Nuggets beat the Taranaki Airs 97-79 in New Plymouth on Saturday night.
"We’ve been tracking along nicely," Harris said.
"Our imports arrived a bit later, so we’ve a had a little bit of time to adjust now and are building and building."
The Nuggets have been sharp on defence, keeping their opponents to an average of 71.33 points.
But at the other end, the team has struggled. Harris’s radar has been off as well.
"I’ve been struggling a little bit shooting-wise. That is not really that normal for my game, so that has been a bit of an adjustment.
"I’ve been trying to find other ways to make an impact. But, aside from the shooting, the team has been going well and I’ve been becoming a more complete player.
"We’ve been holding teams to lower-end scores compared to the other teams. That is something we’ve been doing at training a lot and we take pride in our defence.
"I definitely try to be active on defence, get some steals and blocks and fly around and stuff."
But it is his offensive game which he is better known for and he is keen to get it going tonight.
The Giants have got off to a disappointing start, with three consecutive losses.
The teams have one opponent in common this season — the Manawatu Jets. The Nuggets eked out a 68-67 win over the Jets in Dunedin on the back of some tight defence, while the Giants fell to an 84-74 away loss.
Kavion Pippen shapes as a player the Nuggets will have to work hard to contain. Normally Timmins would get the job of keeping the American centre off the glass, but that role will fall to Andrew.
"He is pretty dominant inside, so we’ve got to try to limit him, reduce his touches and slow him down," Harris said.
"They’ve got a few good guards who like to shoot the three a lot, so we’ll need to chase them off the line."
NBL
Edgar Centre, 7pm
Otago Nuggets: Jack Andrew, Robbie Coman, Todd Withers, Michael Harris, JaQuori McLaughlin, Josh Aitcheson, Matthew Bardsley, Darcy Knox, Michael Ruske, Patrick Freeman, Caleb Smiler, Maxwell Pearce.
Nelson Giants: Darryl Woodson, Matur Maker, Kavion Pippen, Sam Dempster, Tyler Marsh, Nicolas Trathen, Thomas Ingham, Alex McNaught, Tysxun Aiolupotea, Ernest Kerr, Kazlo Evans, Riley Bensemann.
