Together, they are deadly.
Classy Wellington Saints duo Shea Ili and Hyrum Harris teamed up to help dispatch the Otago Nuggets at the Edgar Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Ili, who is playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League for the first time since 2019, poured in 31 points in a wonderful display of shooting.
He was flawless from the free throw line and beyond the arc.
Harris was every bit as good. The centre added 24 points and 13 rebounds.
It is still very early in the season, but the Saints look a side capable of going deep.
The Nuggets — well, they look more on track for a spot in the middle somewhere.
Don Carey jun led the scoring for the Nuggets with 26 points, and forward Jonathan Janssen knocked down 20.
The early signs were not promising for the home team.
The Saints took 15 seconds to find a hole in the Nuggets’ defence, and Nicholas Marshall plugged it with a three-pointer.
It looked too easy, and it was. They strolled away to a 9-0 lead.
Darcy Knox got the Nuggets on the board with a three-pointer from the corner.
Carey drained a triple as well. He shook off Ili with a fake — a rare win for the Nuggets against the talented point guard.
Ili got a pass around a defender to Harris under the hoop and he popped it in. Lovely combination. Deadly, even.
Janssen drilled a triple, and the Nuggets were right back in the quarter.
They were down by just one — but that was as close as they would get.
The Saints dominated the back half of the opening period and took a 32-21 lead into the break.
Ili buried a three early in the second to set the Nuggets further back.
The Saints look more comfortable with the pace of the game.
Jaylen Sebree picked up a third foul early in the second quarter but managed to play his way through the rest of the game without registering a fourth.
Izayah Le’afa hit a three from deep and Rangimarie Dougall-Mita speared in an open look.
That was some very disappointing defence and the game was slipping away quickly.
The Saints brought up 50 midway through the second quarter when Harris finished a fast break with a lay-up.
Carey responded with a delightful drive to the hoop and added an extra from the free throw line.
The Nuggets started the third quarter trailing 55-45. They had done well to rally with 15 unanswered points at the end of the half.
Jose Perez rattled a three-point attempt off the front of the rim, and at the other end fouled Ili, who then slotted all three free throws.
Little moments like that added up quickly. But the Saints had a lot more talent on the court, and they exploded late in the third.
They poured in 20 points in five minutes to lead 84-63 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Nuggets won the final quarter 36-27, but the game had essentially already been lost.
— The Nuggets beat the Saints 38-30 in the Rapid League game. They have won six of their seven games and are in second place in the standings. Christian Martin top-scored with 16 points.
NBL
The scores
Wellington Saints 111
Shea Ili 31, Hyrum Harris 24
Otago Nuggets 99
Don Carey jun 26, Jonathan Janssen 20
Quarter scores: 32-21, 55-45, 84-63.
