Moss leads way as Nuggets down Jets

American Otago Nuggets recruit Isaiah Moss. Photo: Gregor Richardson
American Otago Nuggets recruit Isaiah Moss. Photo: Gregor Richardson
Isaiah Moss reckons he is just starting to get his wind back after a stretch in quarantine.

The 24-year-old American led the Otago Nuggets to a 108-96 win against the Manawatu Jets at the Edgar Centre on Saturday night.

He had 25 points by halftime and went on to post a game-high 33.

The small forward was dropping in three-pointers at a rapid rate in those opening quarters. He finished up making seven of his 13 attempts.

Nuggets centre Sam Timmins had another big night in front of a home crowd of about 1300.

He came close to a rare triple double. He netted 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The Jets made nine assists in total, so that highlights just how well Timmins is passing at the moment.

Australian import Geremy McKay had his best night in the Nuggets' singlet.

He muscled his way to the basket for 18 points.

Richie Rodger soldiered on through back pain and made a solid contribution. He grabbed four steals and made six assists.

And Darcy Knox made an impact from the bench. He knocked down 11 points.

The ball movement was great from the Nuggets.

But there is plenty to work on as well. The defence was shaky in patches and some of the rebounding was awfully sloppy.

The Jets got a lot of second chances.

Shane Temara grabbed nine offensive boards and 15 rebounds in total. He also popped in 14 points in a very decent shift.

Daishon Knight led the scoring for the Jets with 29 points, and Jayden Bezzant poured in 23 points.

But Moss was the star. He was unstoppable in the opening half.

"I'm just trying to get my wind back at this point," Moss said.

"Coming out of quarantine you just take it week by week.

"I'm trying to eat clean and go hard and practise hard. Offensively, I think we got things going and my team-mates kept finding me and giving me the ball.

"But we probably should do better on defence, so we got to go back and look at the film and see what we can do better."

The Nuggets scored at a fairly even rate throughout the game. The Jets, well, they did not arrive at the airport until the second quarter.

They trailed 25-12 at the break but tipped in 37 points to close to within five points by halftime.

But the gap did not continue to close.

Perhaps the highlight of the final quarter was watching Timmins nab an intercept, tear off on a fast break and throw down a massive one-handed slam.

Knox hit a three-pointer off the glass to raise the 100 with just under four minutes remaining.

Shortly before Moss took a seat for the night, he leaped high to grab an intercept and flick a one-handed pass back in court all in one acrobatic motion.

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