Basketball: Airs’ losing streak reaches seven in NBL

Photo: John Velvin

The Taranaki Airs' struggles continued on Saturday as they slumped to a seventh straight Sal's NBL defeat, falling 90-69 to league leaders Auckland Tuatara at TSB Stadium.

Despite the disparity in form coming into the match, the Airs produced one of their best halves in recent weeks and stunned the competition leaders early.

Led by James Moors, the home side raced to a 25-19 lead at the end of the opening quarter before extending their advantage to 48-33 at halftime.

The Airs' defence frustrated Auckland throughout the opening half, but the momentum swung dramatically after the break.

Taranaki endured a disastrous third quarter, managing just six points while the Tuatara piled on 27 to seize control of the contest.

From there, the visitors never looked back as they underlined why they sit atop the league standings.

Moors finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Airs, while Aaron Cook Jr added 18 points and Brandon Stroud contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

For Auckland, Josh Dilling led the scoring with 23 points, while Isaac Davidson added 18 points and Chris Johnson dominated the boards with 16 rebounds.

The defeat leaves the Airs searching for answers after a promising start to the season, with the side now having lost seven consecutive matches.

Earlier, the Airs were beaten 63-36 by the Tuatara in the Rapid League curtain-raiser.

Auckland took control from the outset and never looked threatened, opening up a double-digit lead in the first quarter before extending the margin throughout the contest.

Riley Tuuta top-scored for Taranaki with 10 points, while Cooper James and Lyric Tuhaka each added six.

The Airs will look to halt their losing streak when they host the Tauranga Whai at TSB Stadium on Friday night.