At the start of the season, this weekend’s double-header looked to be the toughest trip possible for the Otago Nuggets.
Stops on the road against the Wellington Saints and Hawke’s Bay Hawks, tomorrow and Monday respectively, seemed nothing short of brutal.
Certainly there is talent on both of those teams and they are as dangerous as each other.
Yet the two finalists from a year ago have combined for just 11 wins of their 24 games — seven of those wins by the Hawks.
That will not make this swing any easier for the Nuggets — particularly in the absence of Sam Timmins and Nikau McCullough, who are both away with national teams.
It has just been the nature of the league this year.
The playoffs are now in sight — every team has between four and six games left — but who will be there remains anyone’s guess.
If the Nuggets are to make that top six, they need to find a way to turn around their recent form.
They have six wins from 12 matches, but have won just one of their last five.
That leaves them in a tie for sixth with the Canterbury Rams.
The Hawks and Franklin Bulls are one win ahead in a tie for fourth, while the Manawatu Jets are a win back in eighth, and the Saints a further win back in ninth.
At this point, every win matters.
Last Sunday’s match against the Auckland Tuatara was among the team’s worst performances in recent years.
Likewise its previous match, against the Canterbury Rams, was similarly poor prior to a furious fourth-quarter comeback.
Defensively The Nuggets have been found wanting — notably in the first half against the Tuatara, in which they gave up 60 points.
On the boards they have been killed — they gave up 13 offensive rebounds to their own 14 total rebounds in the first half last week.
They have shot just 10-of-54 from the three-point line across their past two matches.
In offensive transition they remain lethal.
But those opportunities require a defensive rebound, or a steal, to kick-start.
Without Timmins or McCullough, the import trio will need to step up as they did earlier in the season, while the local contingent will need to make the most of what should be an increased opportunity.
Four home games follow to finish the season, which could yet be an important stretch.
Snatching one of these two wins on the road, could potentially have huge significance heading into that run home, though.
National League
Nuggets double-header
v Wellington Saints, Wellington, tomorrow, 3pm
v Hawke’s Bay Hawks, Napier, Monday, 7.30pm
