The Otago Nuggets are hoping they have emerged from a tough stretch and are ready to push for the playoffs.
The tense 84-82 win against the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in Napier on Monday was big in the context of their season.
They were without regular starters Sam Timmins and Nikau McCullough, but took the game deep.
Josh Aitcheson, who will bring up his 50th game for the Nuggets tomorrow, got a tip-in on the buzzer to seal victory.
It brought an end to a three-game losing streak and more importantly the Nuggets looked like a playoff team.
Coach Brent Matehaere said it was crucial in a number of ways.
"First and foremost the win was important, but so was the way we played," he said.
"We were competitive at both ends of the court."
That was a new development for the Nuggets, who strung together five consecutive wins early before slowly unravelling.
The Auckland Tuatara tugged on the thread hard when they thumped the Nuggets 105-74 at the Edgar Centre earlier this month.
The Nuggets’ defensive effort was completely derailed. But the shots have not been dropping either, leaving the franchise with a huge repair job.
Some of the confidence returned during the 100-88 loss to the Wellington Saints in the capital on Sunday.
And that tip-in, well, it might just be a tipping point for the Nuggets, who host the Manawatu Jets in Dunedin tomorrow.
McCullough is back in the line-up for the Nuggets. The silky guard will improve their offensive production.
Timmins is away with the Tall Blacks, which means back-up centre Jack Andrew will continue his development with another busy shift.
Tray Boyd (30) and Keith Williams (24) combined for 54 points in the win against the Hawks and will be key again.
Todd Withers will bring the starch to the defensive effort. He is closing in on 100 rebounds for the season and has amassed 23 blocks and 30 steals as well.
The Jets have had a tough schedule this week. They had a 96-71 loss to the Nelson Giants on Wednesday night and play them again tonight.
That will take some porridge out of their effort, but they still shape as a dangerous opponent.
"They’ve got weapons and they can certainly score in a variety of ways. Their imports [John] Bohannon, [Robert] Crawford and [Zane] Najdawi are all very capable players," Matehaere said.
Bohannon is the leading rebounder in the competition, while Najdawi, Crawford and Shane Temara have combined for more than 600 points.
The top six teams progress to the playoffs and the Nuggets (7-7) are well-placed. But the competition is tight and they cannot really afford a loss to the Jets at home.
