NZNBL 2024

Nuggets defeated on the road

The Night ’n Day Otago Nuggets have suffered a tight loss to Hawke’s Bay in a see-sawing shootout in Napier on Saturday.
The Nuggets were outscored 17-4 in the final four minutes by the fast-finishing Hawks, after leading 101-99, on the way to a 116-105 defeat.

Tai Webster starred with 27 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals, shooting at 73 per cent from the field.

Webster was one of four Nuggets to reach double digits alongside Kimani Lawrence (22 points, five rebounds and three assists), Ben Henshall (20 points, five rebounds and five assists) and Zaccheus Darko-Kelly (13 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists).

Lawrence limped off the court in the final couple of minutes, clutching at his left calf, and played no further part in the game in a big loss.

Webster shot at 100 per cent in the opening term, hitting five from five on the way to 11 points at quarter-time to give the Nuggets a 34-23 lead.

But all of a sudden, the home side went on a stunning second-quarter surge to tie things up at 40-apiece with a little over six minutes left before half-time.

Keanu Rasmussen was causing all sorts of problems for the Nuggets, swiftly moving to a game-high 24 points for the half on the back of a flurry of triples to help Hawke’s Bay to a 59-54 buffer.

In just his second game back from a wrist injury, Dontae Russo-Nance (six points) had a couple of nice moments off the bench in the second term, driving to the basket with confidence.

Henshall was red-hot in the third, draining back-to-back three-pointers before causing a turnover and laying it up to make it a four-point deficit.

Webster and Lawrence were also prominent in the Nuggets’ comeback as the visitors regained the lead with four minutes left before three-quarter time.

Scores were all tied up at 88-all at the final change with both sides shooting impressively, especially Henshall who had 11 points - including three triples - for the term.

The Nuggets had their moments in the last quarter but the hot hand of Isaiah Moore (30 points) and Josh Roberts’ (20 rebounds) enormous presence in the paint proving too much.

Otago are back on home soil on Thursday in the battle of the Webster brothers - Tai and Corey - as Auckland Tuatara visit Dunedin's Edgar Centre.