For the second time in three years, the Otago Nuggets are National Basketball League champions.
They capped their playoff run with a tense 81-73 win over the Auckland Tuatara in Auckland in tonight's final.
As the other two had been, this was a win built on steely defence and energy across the court.
He attacked the rim aggressively, before coming up with two late baskets to secure the win after the Nuggets clung to a two-point lead.
A 10-point run from Tray Boyd (18 points) was equally crucial, pulling the Nuggets back ahead at halftime, having faced an 11-point deficit midway through the second quarter.
The win follows the Nuggets' title in the 2020 NBL Showdown.
Williams provided the majority of the early scoring for the Nuggets.
He got to the hoop, while also hit from mid-range to have 10 points early.
However, the Nuggets struggled to generate much else and the Tuatara surged ahead through Siler Schneider and Taki Fahrensohn.
They led 22-17 at quarter-time, which grew after the break.
Dontae Russo-Nance began imposing himself on the game and after a corner three, followed by a step-through layup, he forced the Nuggets into a timeout at 37-26.
The Nuggets responded well, though.
They gained back momentum, as Boyd hit a pull-up jumper to spark a run in which he scored 10 consecutive points himself.
That gave the Nuggets a 43-42 lead at halftime.
Dynamic forward Chris Johnson took over the lead for the Tuatara in the third quarter, notably throwing down two thunderous slam dunks.
However, the Nuggets kept the remainder of the team quiet and after withstanding the pressure, they pulled ahead.
Williams began driving aggressively and gave the Nuggets a 62-52 lead when he hit two free-throws, which followed a three-pointer he hit at the top.
But Tuatara point guard Schneider finished the quarter well to cut the Nuggets lead to 64-59 at the end of the third quarter.
The game starting becoming frenetic at that point.
But the Nuggets locked in, while Williams came up with a handful of key baskets.
The Tuatara had one last run in them, though.
Rob Loe scored in the paint, before Russo-Nance hit two free throws to bring them to within one.
But Boyd hit a free throw, before Williams scored a transition layup to give the Nuggets a four-point lead inside the final minute.
