But too much spoils the whole box ... score.
Classy Wellington Saints guard Elijah Pepper gave the Otago Nuggets more than a sprinkle.
He poured in 28 points to lead his side to a tense 91-90 win at the Edgar Centre on Saturday night.
But it was actually a steal from the floor general that swung the game.
The Nuggets led 90-89 with about 11 seconds on the clock.
They inbounded the ball, but Pepper nicked it, scampered up court and got it to Braydon Iuli, who finished under the lid.
The Nuggets had one final shot to rescue the win. Buay Tuach put up a shot from the corner, but it rolled across the rim and dropped harmlessly as the buzzer sounded.
It was the Nuggets’ second one-point loss at home this season.
The loss, though, was kind of expected, given the Saints are part of a breakaway group at the top of the NBL standings.
The Nuggets are in the next tier down and locked in a battle for the final two playoff spots.
The loss to the Saints will not hurt them too much. And the performance will have heartened the 1168 fans who skipped the All Blacks test to watch their basketball team.
The Nuggets went toe-to-finger-tip with a quality side and had a golden opportunity to pull off an upset.
Australian battler Craig Moller was at his best. He fought hard for 22 points and seven rebounds.
Tyson Thata-Paese continues to step up. He landed 20 points, while captain Ethan Rusbatch added 19 points in another quality outing.
Nuggets point guard Alain Louis’ passing game was in good nick. He collected 11 assists.
Matthew Bardsley (six points) added some energy from the bench and tried to put some pressure on Pepper.
Saints forward Akech Aliir put in a gutsy display in more ways than one.
He splashed in 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Aliir also splashed the contents of his stomach into a bin next to the drinks station. He looked ill but soldiered through.
The game was tight all the way.
Rusbatch hit a couple of triples off fast breaks to keep the Nuggets in the hunt in the opening quarter.
The Saints led 22-21 but had slipped behind 46-44 by halftime.
Moller found his range from beyond the arc, and Louis and Thata-Paese combined just before the break to give the home side a small lead.
Thata-Paese nailed a three at the start of the third and Louis found Tuach under the hoop to finish with a dunk.
Moller bumped off his marker with a heavy left shoulder and rolled in a hook shot.
But the Saints were matching the Nuggets shot for shot and went into the final 10 minutes with a 69-65 lead.
The Nuggets looked like they had opened up a match-winning break.
They led 88-81 with just under two minutes remaining.
But Aliir landed a crucial three-pointer from the corner moments after he returned from throwing up.
Tuach slapped in a shot from Rusbatch which had bobbled out.
But Pepper closed it up again with three free throws. He then pounced on a pass and took off to set up the winner.
Pepper gets up your nose.
The Saints beat the Nuggets 30-28 in the Rapid League game.
NBL
The scores
Wellington Saints 91
Elijah Pepper 28, Akech Aliir 25
Otago Nuggets 90
Craig Moller 22, Tyson Thata-Paese 20
Quarter scores: Saints 22-21, Nuggets 46-44, Saints 69-65.
