The Otago Nuggets made a late rally, but the Tauranga Whai claimed an important 88-82 win to keep their playoff prospects alive.
Dunedin-born Mojave King led the scoring for the visitors with 23 points, and big centre Anzac Rissetto netted 22 points.
The Nuggets fell apart in the third quarter but mounted a threatening comeback in the fourth quarter and closed to within two points.
Jonathan Janssen banged in 25 points and Don Carey jun added 23.
But Rissetto, who could be seen sideline wrapped in a woollen blanket at times, swatted away a shot, and King completed the scoring with a dunk.
Job done as far as the visitors were concerned.
Nuggets hustler Matthew Bardsley provided an early spark. He nabbed an offensive rebound, and Carey made it count with a deep triple.
Bardsley then wove his way to the cup for back-to-back baskets.
Patrick Freeman drilled an open three to give the Nuggets a 14-4 lead.
Carey landed his second triple.
It was perhaps the best five minutes of basketball the Nuggets had mustered all season.
Jayden Bezzant hit a long three to close the gap, and at the other end Carey’s three-pointer bobbled out.
It was a long way down the hole before getting rejected.
No problem. Darcy Knox backed out of the circle and banged in a triple instead.
The Nuggets led 26-17 going into the first break.
Rissetto bulldozed his way to the hoop early in the second. He was the most productive of the Whai in the opening period.
But Carey rolled off another screen and answered with a three-pointer.
King finally got his game going. He tossed a half-court assist to Rissetto and followed up with a three-pointer from the corner.
He has a tremendous turn of speed and the confidence to match.
The Nuggets were doing their best to get in his way, but their nine-point lead evaporated.
The Whai briefly took the lead, but Jaylen Sebree landed a buzzer-beater from beyond the arc to close the half with the Nuggets nursing a 46-42 lead.
King swatted away a shot from Sebree to start the third, finished off two fast breaks and drained another three-pointer as the visitors poured in 18 unanswered points.
And just like that, the Nuggets trailed by 14.
They just do not have the firepower to stay with teams over longer periods.
But even by their standards, the 26-8 quarter score represented a dramatic drop-off.
Rissetto forced his way into the paint and collected more points for the Whai.
But Janssen punched away a shot and slotted a couple from close to the rim.
Carey slipped his marker and finished with a lay-up. He followed that up with a three-pointer.
Christian Martin stuck a triple, too ...
Wait, this game was meant to be over. It more or less said so half a dozen sentences ago.
The gap got all the way down to two with one minute remaining.
But the Nuggets ran out of runway.
King had the last say.
The Whai beat the Nuggets 44-33 in the Rapid League game.
NBL
Edgar Centre, last night
Tauranga Whai 88
(Mojave King 23, Anzac Rissetto 22)
Otago Nuggets 82
(Jonathan Janssen 25, Don Carey jun 23)
Quarter scores: 17-26, 42-46, 68-54, 88-82.
