And the game tape will make for painful viewing for the defending champions.
But the Otago Nuggets edged a weakened Giants side 86-75 in Nelson tonight.
The complacent effort lifted the Nuggets to 12-5.
A win against the Taranaki Airs in Dunedin on Saturday will guarantee the Nuggets a top-two finish and direct entry into the semifinals.
Tai Webster bailed the Nuggets out with 22 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
He also turned the ball over six times, so it was not a flawless performance.
But he was one of the few in the baby blue singlet to enhance his reputation.
Sam Timmins collected 20 points, but Michael Harris and Todd Withers had oddly quiet nights by their high standards.
The Giants were missing imports Matur Maker and Avery Woodson. Maker picked up a hand injury during the week and Woodson was laid low by the flu.
That robbed the home side of a lot potency.
Nic Trathen stepped up in their absence with 17 points, and Callum McRae scored 15 points and pulled down 15 boards.
Sam Dempster put in a gutsy effort with 14 points. He had been sick with the flu earlier in the week.
Timmins opened the scoring for the Nuggets with a bucket under the rim.
But both sides struggled for accuracy early. Withers even had a three-point shot bobble out and come to a rest on the shelf between the backboard and the hoop. You could not do that again in 100 attempts, probably.
Withers manage to drain an open three late to give his side a 21-14 lead at the break.
Dempster nailed a three early in the second stanza to cut the margin.
Riley Bensemann hit a three as the Giants posted the opening eight points and took the lead briefly.
Webster saw a gap and drove to the basket for a bucket and the extra for the foul.
But the Nuggets looked like they were coasting. Another way of describing their effort would be sloppy.
They were not treasuring possession like they normally do.
The ball got turned over a little too easily. Timmins missed a dunk. Harris missed a lay-up. It was all a little awkward.
Leading 38-35 at halftime, the Nuggets went searching for their rhythm.
Harris opened his account finally. He blew by the defence and banked in a lay-up off the glass.
Someone in the crowd fired up Webster and he started hitting shots from the same place on the court.
He then made sure to remind the spectator the ball had gone in again.
But the Giants tracked the Nuggets the entire quarter and a putback by Trathen on the buzzer gave the home side 62-61 lead with 10 minutes to play.
The Nuggets leaned on their trademark defence to restrict the Giants to 13 points in the final quarter to seal the win.
But mark it down as an escape.
The scores
Otago Nuggets 86
Tai Webster 22, Sam Timmins 20
Nelson Giants 75
Nic Trathen 17, Callum McRae 15
Quarter scores: 21-14, 38-35, 61-62.
