Nuggets come through in thriller

The Otago Nuggets’ Nikau McCullough shoots while defended by the Franklin Bulls’ Isaac Davidson during their match at the Edgar Centre on Sunday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH

Tray Boyd held the W sign up on his fingers as the Otago Nuggets called time-out.

He had just secured the final rebound, all but securing the win after a final 40 seconds of overtime in which the guard took over.

Otago had trailed the Franklin Bulls by two as Boyd’s pull-up drained through the net with 41 seconds to play.

Moments later, he stole the inbound pass, passed it off, then got it back in the corner and hit a triple to put the Nuggets up 102-99.

He secured the rebound at the end of the ensuing defensive possession, before icing the game at the foul line.

More significantly, the 104-99 win at the Edgar Centre last night leaves the Nuggets the third-seed for this week’s NBL playoffs.

It was one they had to dig deep for, trailing for large parts of the game and for the majority of overtime.

They will face the Hawke’s Bay Hawks on Wednesday night in Auckland, after the Hawks sneaked into sixth-place with an overtime win over the Canterbury Rams.

"Obviously, things didn’t go as well as we hoped throughout the whole thing," Nuggets coach Brent Matehaere said of the game.

"We’ve got a couple of days to reflect and we take on the Hawks at 6pm on Wednesday night.

"The medical staff will have a bit of work to do and we’ve got to make sure we take care of business in recovery.

"It’s great to make the playoffs. We finished in third place and I think a lot of times I looked at the season and thought it was going to be tough to make the playoffs. What a league it’s been."

That recovery period will not be insignificant.

Todd Withers left the game with an ankle injury midway through the second quarter, while Robbie Coman followed with one of his own not long after.

Keith Williams was also absent through illness, although it was hoped he would be back by Wednesday.

Either way, the team got through without them down the stretch.

That test should leave them well-prepared for a crunch game in Auckland.

"What I liked to see from the fellows was that heart," Matehaere said.

"Making sure they stuck with it. I think that’s important going down the stretch, going into playoffs, that you can dig in and get one."

Boyd’s clutch shots capped off a 30-point display, in which he also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists.

He was not the only contributor, though.

Centre Sam Timmins had a monster night with 21 points and 18 rebounds, while fellow big man Jack Andrew had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

It had not all been smooth-sailing for the Nuggets.

The Bulls 2-3 zone did a good job of taking them out of their offence in parts, while Jayden Bezzant (31 points) was lethal at the other end for the visitors.

He helped his side to a 20-19 lead, and the Bulls went on to extend that toto 44-35 late in the second quarter.

But at that point the Nuggets went on a 12-0 run, sparked by a Matthew Bardsley (eight points) three-point play, finishing off a superb pass from Boyd.

The Bulls responded again with a 31-point third quarter, before the scores tightened and neither team got away in the fourth.

Timmins hit two free throws to tie the score at 93-93 late, but neither team could make a winner and it was left to Boyd to clinch victory in overtime.

The Hawks are the Nuggets’ opponent by virtue of their 95-87 win over the Rams.

On Friday the Bulls had lost to the Southland Sharks 81-77, ending their hopes of a playoff spot.

The Wellington Saints continued their run with a 98-80 win over the Auckland Tuatara, leaving those two to face off in Wednesday’s other playoff match.