Perhaps the score would not suggest this time was much closer.
But last night’s loss to the Wellington Saints was a far more competitive showing than the Otago Nuggets’season opener.
The Saints eventually ran out 102-85 winners in Wellington, securing first on the National Basketball League table in the process.
It was not dissimilar to the 95-73 scoreline the Saints won by on opening night in Dunedin.
However, on this occasion Wellington had to work hard. Very hard.
The margin was at five late in the third quarter, when key Saints players Dion Prewster and Taane Samuel picked up their fourth fouls.
It was a performance that generated a response of ‘‘we’re playing terribly’’ from Saints coach Zico Coronel during his early fourth-quarter television interview.
Indeed it was a point in the game at which the Saints have become used to holding a comfortable lead.
That lead did come, though.
A run shortly after gave the Saints the buffer they needed to pull away.
Wellington point guard Kerwin Roach was unstoppable all night.
He had 27 points on 13/16 shooting, getting to the hoop and also proving pesky on defence in nabbing five steals.
Taane Samuel was similarly key, the forward hitting five three-pointers on his way to a 23-point haul.
However, the Nuggets held their own for most of the game. They rebounded with energy and aggression to generate plenty of second-chance shots.
Geremy McKay was key in the second half and finished with 25 points on 11/16 shooting.
Isaiah Moss was hot throughout the second quarter, too, and had 23 of his own.
However, sloppy turnovers hurt the Nuggets — they had 21 — while 53% was too low a conversion rate from the foul line.
The Nuggets started well as Richie Rodger pulled the strings to give them a 7-3 lead.
At that point the Saints called timeout and responded with a 17-2 run.
Samuel scored 11 points including three triples, but Sam Timmins and Moss helped the Nuggets back to go to quarter-time down 25-19.
Moss hit a pair of three-pointers early in the second to close the gap to 29-27.
The Saints got that back to 36-30, when Timmins picked up an offensive foul — his third — leaving the Nuggets to play the last five minutes of the half without him.
But Otago rallied as McKay stepped up to help them keep the score to 55-50 at halftime.
That margin stayed much the same through the third quarter.
Rodger drew two offensive fouls on Prewster just before the final break, sending the Saints star to the bench on four fouls.
Samuel joined him a minute later, as he was called for a push off on McKay.
However, the Saints started the fourth quarter better and shot out to an 83-69 lead on a Kenneth Tuffin three-pointer.
That was a gap the Nuggets could not close.
They continued to fight, but the Saints pulled away to win the final quarter 26-16.
The Nuggets have one more game left, against the Canterbury Rams at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
The Saints join the Hawke’s Bay Hawks, Southland Sharks and Auckland Huskies in the Final Four. That will be played in Porirua on Thursday and Friday next week.
