They have lost their last two games and have dropped down in the competition standings.
But coach Jeff Sparrow has promised the team has another gear and they have not hit their ceiling yet.
‘‘It’s not a shock,’’ Sparrow responded when asked about the winning run coming to an end with back-to-back losses.
‘‘I’ve said this to these guys, we’re the underdog in all 20 games.
‘‘We have zero Australian NBL guys. We have zero Tall Blacks. We’re the underdogs.
‘‘We came out of the gates [with four straight wins] because we’re together and we’re committed. But every game is going to be a grind.
‘‘There is nothing easy in this league.
‘‘And you’ll get beat anywhere, anytime, any day if you don’t shoot well and you have defensive mistakes like we had.’’
The 91-82 loss to the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in Napier highlighted his point.
The Hawks went into the game on the back of five consecutive losses. But they were in a similar situation to a lot of the teams in the league.
Their roster took some time to take shape and they are only now really figuring out their identity.
The Nuggets took a different approach.
Sparrow insisted on recruiting players who would be available five weeks out from the start of the season.
They hit the hardwood running and have enjoyed an advantage over their opponents.
But the pack is catching up. The Nuggets need to find another gear.
‘‘I think what you’re seeing is scouting and you’re seeing people that have film on us and people that are taking a week to prepare.
‘‘So, things should get harder.
‘‘But what we’ve learned from it is there’ll be some lineup wrinkles and some things that I can control from a chemistry standpoint that I think is going to really make us look a bit different this weekend. So, I’m excited to see us.’’
The Nuggets will host the Auckland Tuatara on Saturday night.
The visitors have five wins from six games and lead the standings.
Their fab five of Zach Riley, Joshua Dilling, Thomas Vodanovich, Rob Loe and Chris Johnson will present several defensive challenges.
‘’Obviously, we’ll have to defend the post well. We’re growing in that area.
‘‘We’re very good at defending the three-point line because we allow the post to play.
‘‘But in this scenario, we’re going to have to probably
help out a little bit more than usual.
‘‘But I think in the open court, we have an advantage.’’
