Basketball: Airs secure home playoff

NZ Sports Wire

The Taranaki Airs have secured a home playoff game on the final day of the National Basketball League (NBL) regular season.

The Airs pulled away from the Nelson Giants for a 108-90 win at TSB Stadium on Sunday.

Result saw the Airs and Saints both finish at 13-7, one game ahead of the Franklin Bulls. Taranaki took third due to a superior points percentage.

Despite the loss in New Plymouth, the Giants claimed the sixth and final postseason berth via the points percentage tiebreaker after a three-way tie at 8-12 with the Bay Hawks and Tauranga Whai.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Airs will host the Giants again on Wednesday night (tip-off 7.30pm), while the Saints will welcome the Bulls to TSB Arena on Friday night (tip-off 7.30pm).

The defending and regular season champion Canterbury Rams, who finished 17-3, await the winner of the Airs-Giants game on Saturday (tip-off 3pm) in Christchurch, while the Auckland Tuatara will face the Saints-Bulls winner on Wednesday, July 24 (tip-off 8pm).

Tall Blacks guard Flynn Cameron hit six triples to lead the hot-shooting Airs with 22 points (8/13 FG, 6/10 3pt) and three assists, while NZ Breakers development player Carlin Davison finished one assist from a triple-double, ending with 20 points (8/13 FG), 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

Derone Raukawa put up 19 points (5/8 FG, 4/5 3pt, 5/5 FT), Breakers signing Mitch McCarron 16 points (5/9 FG, 2/4 3pt, 4/4 FT), five boards and eight assists, Quintin Bailey 12 points (5/7 FG, 2/2 3pt) and import Elijah Minnie 11 points (4/10 FG) and 10 rebounds.

For the Giants, Tall Blacks squad member Dan Fotu put up 26 points (9/16 FG, 2/4 3pt, 6/8 FT), six boards, three assists and two steals, while Australian forward Dan Grida and Breakers development guard Alex McNaught each posted 17 points.

Taranaki scored 11 straight points to lead by nine in the first quarter, then went on a 12-1 run to start the third period to go up by 15 points.

Nelson scored 10 straight points, including back-to-back threes from Sam Dempster, to get within nine with 3:20 remaining, but the Airs secured the victory with a 9-0 run soon after.

Taranaki shot 44 percent (17-of-38) on three-point attempts, while the Giants, who were without imports Kobe Langley and Theo Akwuba, hit just 25 percent (5-of-20), but did score 52 points in the paint.

Taranaki Airs 106 (Flynn Cameron 22, Carlin Davison 20, Derone Raukawa 19, Mitch McCarron 16, Quintin Bailey 12, Elijah Minnie 11) Nelson Giants 90 (Dan Fotu 26, Dan Grida 17, Alex McNaught 17, Nic Davidson 10). 1Q: 26-19, HT: 51-47, 3Q: 80-66