Otago Nuggets v Canterbury Rams | Full Basketball Game | @SalsNBL 2025
well Kafano and welcome here to the Inca Center here in Deneden It’s great to have your company for more Sky Broadband Rapid League basketball action And we’re at round 14 now the 2025 season and we’ve got the Classico Target Canterbury duel ready to go for you with the Nuggets up against the Rams This is the second time they met this season back in April They had the Nuggets had the win in the rapidly game by 45 points to 29 Let’s see if they can do the double this season Case Bookman with me And the Nuggets they’re not always a team not to be underrated in the Rapid League It should be a good match this one No absolutely Both teams are neck andneck in the standings of the Rapid League Number four and five respectively Nuggets nine and seven Rams 9 and six So could go either way tonight Absolutely And there’s some hot young talent in both teams and some experienced players that are featuring as we look at the rest of the raffle table Southland bringing up the rear at the moment with Franklin who have slipped away a little bit in the cells MBL ladder as well and they’re in 10th place just above Southland So still lots to play for Remember every point counts on the points for and against and that could be critical because the Cells NBL ladder is so tight heading into the last couple of games this season for most teams Yeah you nailed it Every single point matters in both the Rapid League and the NBL So as much as you can you’ve got to get those points on the board Here is the starting five for Canterbury this evening in the Rapid League game Taffford Kate Ka Isaac the Tall Blacks player is playing We got Worthington that’s Tony Worththington Also Mana Martin who’s a good player and Rodie Cooper the former North Harour player who’s studying at Lincoln University is in action in this game this evening as well The Otago team bit of experience running out there today with Darcy Nox starting alongside Caleb Smiler Patrick Freeman Christian Martin and M Stoddard the Southlander who’s in his first year at the Nuggets His third year in the NBL So the uh both teams we touched on high up the standings They’re both in pretty good form at the moment Yeah absolutely right Pretty much neck and neck I’ve never seen a percentage that high 3,325 That is impressive Yeah that’s pretty good I think that’s 33.25 just as a wild stab in the dark What do you think yeah maybe Maybe But uh yeah like we said field goal percentage in favor of the Rams Uh but rebounds those are massive Nuggets cleaning up pretty well So that might be the edge they need Exactly And Otago have a habit of winning a rapidly game when they’re not expected to So let’s see if that trend continues here in Deneden this evening So we’re all set for a start now Going to be Otago in the blue and they win the tip See how they can get going here And Targetago of course Canterbury a pretty experienced team Got Max Darling on the bench today as well Whether they’ll need him or not we will see And that’s been stolen by Cadbury Early opportunity for them In fact it’s been nicked out of the hands there by Brody Cooper And here comes Knox for Otago Freeman And that’s Stoddard Now again runs a team weld as Darcy Knox Christian Martin went for the three Can’t nail it And here comes Canterbury again tipped out of bounds by Christian Martin Just getting his hands in there getting active trying to produce those turnovers for the Nuggets So Canterbury still have possession Kate over to Cooper again Kai Isaac will be a key player in this rattly team today There goes Kooper’s three He’s astray with that one And it’s picked up by Otago And here comes Stoart Martin Still no baskets We had over a minute to play now as Knox goes for a drive and he’s fouled and he should go to the Chemist Warehouse strike for two Yeah that was a really nice drive there by Darcy Knox again threading right through the defense creating that foul and he will find himself at the chemist stripe for two Fun fact Darcy Knox in this rapid league is 100% from the free throw line So hold your breath folks So Nox not able to get that second free throw Here comes Isaac Here’s the three coming in from Mana Martin for Cadbury What a shot there from Mana Martin Good ball movement from the Rams opening it up with a three ball That’s their first points of the game There’s a no nice no look passing to Freeman He’s lost it No he’s still got it for Otago Shot clock though is now down to single numbers Stoddard be tightly marked and Stoddard finishes in style right there You do not want to get in the way of Matt Stoddard when he is driving to the rim Tunnel vision got the dunk Oh he’s right over the top there of Tony Worththington Nice job by Otago Score is three all at the moment as we see a nice pass and there’s a foul on Worththington this time That was good play by Isaac to create the opportunity Yeah beautiful job Isaac drawing two defenders and then hits the trailer on that nice little dub pass again getting shoved into the back and he will have his way at the chemistry So Tony Worthington at the line here the 19year-old he’s a rookie in the league this year from Canterbury ex- Rollston College lad completes the second free throw from the chemist warehouse strike Gives Canterbury a 5-2 lead I like this pressure from the Rams not allowing the Nuggets to have an easy walk up the court Smiler Oh that’s fancy from Caleb Smiler And he has that ability Caleb Smiler on the drive again getting crafty underneath Good basketball jeans in that family Of course Kaylee Smiler a sister star at the Toadong Fire last year Here’s another three ball coming in from Mana Martin No good that time as Freeman tidies up Patrick Freeman coming down court here for Otago All the way perhaps Oh yes Love that from Pat Freeman again Bullied all the way coast to coast and just took the contact all the way Drew the foul in Great work from Pat Freeman Yeah great job from Patrick Freeman See that pressure that defensive presence all the way Did a great job there And he loved it didn’t he oh absolutely Body language is pretty cool there on Patrick Freeman He turns 23 tomorrow So congratulations to Freeman Couldn’t complete the three-point play He might get another opportunity due to a line violation there And now he’s got a second opportunity Little extra birthday gift for him He still can’t get it to Canterbury Tra by one Nice little comeback by the Nuggets Isaac gets it back again from Brody Cooper Cooper nice ball rotation That’s a nice fake and finish there from Manam Martin Yeah just a classic move there from Mana Good job getting the defense off their feet and getting the easy finish It’s a good player man Martin he’s just 17 years of age He doesn’t turn 18 till the end of next month and he’s been averaging 10 points per game in the Rapid League this season at 55% as well This is some really really great signs for the Canterbury Rams Again you’ve got young talent like that coming up What a blessing That’s Knox to inbound it Nice pass and Stoddard with the uncontested jam for Otago I mean if you can just get the ball in Stoddard’s hands and let him go to town might get some easy points Four points for him now Lowscoring quarter isn’t it though as we enter the last 35 seconds Worthington again Here’s Martin One of the stars of the first quarter Good pass from him And it’s unfortunate there Cooper got himself in good position And nice little elevation there Just couldn’t get that soft touch off the rim Martin back out there now with Stoddard Looks for support Back to Martin again Couple of seconds differential between the shot and the game clock So Christian Martin’s going to have to put up the shot here and he rolls it in nicely So Canterbury here got a couple of seconds Isaac from the half court and it’s away Otago got a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter in this game 10 to7 I really like the defensive pressure from the Rams though really being physical catching them in the three quarters court not making it easy going across that half court line But again Nuggets prevailing taking the basket taking the ball to the basket strong and really capitalizing from the line Large cut pepperoni pizza just 30 bucks Actually let’s uh not rob you of a scent It’s $29.99 if you scan that QR code valid until next Tuesday Let’s get into it folks Uh themselves So at the moment Mana Martin with five points Tony Worththington with two and Max Dart has four points for Otago Reminding you too that the Cell NBL game between these two tips off at 7:00 this evening So we hope you can stay with us for that game here on Sky Sport coaches today Tago Jeffrey Sparrow in there mixing it up for his team and Liam Connelly of course taking the reigns to category could always see the assistant coaches stepping up to coach the rapidly teams and there is a sign Max Darling is going to feature in this game What what a great asset to have Max Darling coming off the bench Well yeah exactly just uh underlines the depth that Canterbury have in their team Mirror is darling Kate Martin and Kate again the hottest young talent He’s just 15 Martin on the shot clock Good defense by Otago Really struggling to have a look And that is not be going to be a counter We’re going to I think we had a 3second violation there He was swarmed like a pack of hornets down low Great defensive possession there from the Nuggets Nice enthusiastic defense Now can Otago turn that good defense into points at the other end of the court Knox Oh nice spin move by Smiler and he’s fouled like a little bit too quick there for Tony Worththington Yeah that was a nice spin move And I thought for sure they were going to call the foul on Max Darling because he slapped that ball right out of his hands but I was wrong Good call there from the Bodard officials Knox to inbound iter Smiler Shot clock down to eight Here’s Knox trying to work off start pass to Russ who can’t nail the jumper but ooh that’s an interesting call Foul is going to be conceded by Otago I don’t mind that play at all I like the aggressive defense Go for that ball The 50/50 chance Just a little bit too much activity on the ball but I don’t mind it You win on Rusk No change to that quarter time score Had almost a minute of play now in the second quarter Here’s Martin just a rather just looked a little hesitant on offense but in the end a nice little finish there from Brody Kufer Get his first two points of the game Back comes the other number 10 Caleb Smiler I like the way the teams are going at each other and driving the lane That’s a true basketball Not just camping around the three-point line chucking it up like they were in the first quarter I like this And just like that Max Darling able to draw the foul Yeah Freeman is going to pick that one up Bit of a size difference there He’s a unit isn’t he Max Darling absolute unit Solid customer He loved Taffy Kate He’s featured in six games in the NBL this season Who knows he might get some court time tonight in the cells NBL game as we see That’s Ma Martin That’s good bully basketball right there from Martin Absolutely Just a toughness play from Mana Martin Really putting it on display Saw him shoot it a bit from behind the arc in the first quarter but this quarter just taking it to the man Got the and one See if he can make the three-point play Well he’s got seven points now He’s certainly the player with the most offensive threat in this game And he does complete the three-point play to lock the scores up Here’s Itago through Knox William Boomer is out there now for Otago wearing number 42 There’s that spin move again from Smiler Oh that is textbook stuff from him Beautiful spin movement It’s so fast Not much you can do to stop it Oh Otago back in front by two Here’s Martin again Oh another three-point play coming up for Martin Backto back three-point plays I love that toughness from Mana Martinson again Just taking it to the man getting that and one And you’ll see the last play here Caleb Smiler with a nice spin back to the right Easy lay for Caleb Smiler Amanda Martin putting the team on his back in the second quarter at nine points Oh he can’t get to 10 There’s Darling though Couldn’t have been more better positioned off the rim than that for him Three ball goes up Not nailed by Cooper but there’s Martin getting the loose ball rebound Cooper again Shot clock down to six Martin for three and there’s a a foul I think Darling’s going to be called for that one I actually think it might have been Brody Cooper cuz he and Christian Martin were going at it there just a bit Gave him a little shove there in the end It’s going to be more ball coming for Otago see what they can do Stoddard gives it back to Martin Short there but there’s Freeman tidying up and it opens right up for Freeman who can’t get the layup to four You almost had too much room there Now here’s Kates Nice pass from Cooper trying to get to his buddy Mana Martin again Couldn’t get it I like that look though again drawing the attention of the defense and trying to get that back door cut Good offensive set there from the Rams inside the last minute of quarter number two Tight game unfolding here in the Sky Brawl Band Rapidly Hope you’re enjoying it Christian Martin trying to prove um get a number going on Max Darling now Smiler There it is again in that spin move Can’t the points this time And a little frustration there from Otago with that foul Yeah Again if you’re if you’re guarding Caleb Smiler and he takes that dribble he’s on the right hand side of the court He dribbles into the paint with the left you know 10 times out of 10 he’s probably going to spin back to the right So try to keep forcing him You don’t want to give up the middle of the lane but you also don’t want to get caught on that reverse spin So you’ve got to kind of try to funnel him where you want him to go And if he does that spin move you jump back the other way or leaking and help from that corner defender Max Darling at the line gets his first points of the game and second So that’s Canterbury up by two been tight game all the way through Canterbury biggest lead is three and that’s the same margin that Otago have enjoyed There’s Freeman balls away and here’s Cooper with the rebound might push here They are going to slow it down and try and get this clock right down to as close to 24 as they can on the shot clock A good look for another basket at the other end of the court now Darling how did he get through there Max Darling but Otago defended it well And there’s a BNC player timeout called there by Patrick Freeman A nice job by him with 4.3 left in this quarter Chance for Otago to have a cord and try to figure things out for this last 4.3 seconds Still tie If you get a ticket to the big game by scanning that QR code folks and there’s going to be plenty of big games coming So many tie matches coming down the stretch of the season courtesy of BNZ of course which is supporting the next generation of Kiwi basketballers Here’s Smiler Stoddard puts up the three ball Can’t nail it So it’s going to be Canterbury up by two at the half 16-4 in the Sky Band Rapid League game Love the play of Mana Martin in this one 10 points shooting the ball at 66% He’s having a fantastic game is the 17year-old Yeah pretty unreal stuff again Just taking it to the man getting those easy buckets The and one finishes and Caleb Smiler with six for the Nuggets Four for Stoart Darling Worthington Cooper Freeman and Martin with two a piece And I like the spread of the scoring but again quite a lowscoring first half there for this Rapid League game Four rebounds for Patty Freeman He’s done a great job cleaning it up both offensively and defensively as well as Worthington for the Rams Darling and Martin and Martin with two a piece And you see there three assists spread amongst Isaac Kate and Darcy Knox And no blocks so far Couple of slams from Max Stoart Yeah they’ve been very solid and just a couple of steals in the first half as well So 16 points to 14 Manum with 10 points Perhaps he’s been playing very well in the Rapid League Little unlucky perhaps not to make the New Zealand under 19 team which is leaving for the World Cup very soon in Switzerland Lots of players from this league are in that team Jackson Ball Locky Crate Carter Hawkboy Tama Isaac Hayden Jones Sander Masters Troy Plum Tree Kahu Tree all in that team I mean that’s a pretty stacked team if you ask throw in Oscar Good Goodman as well who’s arguably the brightest prospect at that age group and Will Blight is in the team as well from Nelson So exciting period of uh basketball coming up for all those young fellas going all the way to Switzerland to play in a World Cup Pretty awesome trip if you ask me Third quarter underway Of course that’s going to have an impact on the Sky Bullband Rapid League and the SalesMl down the stretch as the well uh down the stretch of the season as well Nice pass Freeman took up position That was good vision from Stoddard to give it Excellent vision and again recognition from Freeman His defender was watching the ball An easy cut to the basket Tie ball game once more Kate over to Martin Yeah Martin’s got a sweet outside shot hasn’t he that’s a second three of the game He’s on 13 Yeah it’s a beautiful step back there again Freeman lost his footing a bit Oh really opened up that three for him Both three-pointers in the game have been nailed by Manam Martin The only threes in the game Here’s Freeman and he’s managed to lure a basket out there and he’s arguing that the basket should count The whistle definitely happened before the shot Although they are going to count I like that And I really have enjoyed watching Freeman gain toughness throughout the season start of the season Might not have been so assertive in those drives to the basket but again just seeing him flourish here in the second half of the season Really taking it strong to the basket He’s featured in 13 of the 16 games the Nuggets have played in the MBL this season Can’t nail that free throw again Nuggets are 0 for four from the Chemist Warehouse stripe in this game We’ll just keep an eye on that stat as we move forward Well coming into the game shooting 68% as a team overall Not great No it isn’t Here’s a Isaac for three Away with that one Good strong rebound there by Stoddard Freeman’s going to put up a three and he rattles it in Pat Freeman off the wrinkle dribble there from the big man Nice little handoff play there Wow Freeman with five points in this third quarter Goes to nine in the game now Good defense by Freeman He’s got a block there but it looks like Smiler might have conceded the foul We just see who this goes on Oh props to Pat Freeman on that play Watch this defensive rotation coming across the lane elevating meeting him at the rim and just going to be a slight tickytac foul in the end but love the defensive rotation It was on the second play wasn’t it there’s the quick three from the corner And there’s a foul from Freeman again And it’s on the danger man Mana Martin who’s going to go to the chemist warehouse Stride for three shots Yeah that’s a tough foul to give up at this stage You’ve got a nice two-point lead which isn’t that nice but you do have the lead And again just a little laxidasical on the closeout Great recognition from this guy here Just absolutely carrying this Rams team Yeah he is He’s just he is a beast scoring machine in this game This free throw free throws complete offs I mentioned 0 for four for Otago in the game Canterbury and now seven from eight Eight from nine Nice shooting there from Martin He’s up to 16 points of the 22 that Canterbury have scored Only Cooper and Worththington and Darling have got two each The only other players to score now Freeman nailed his last three Can’t get backto back threes Almost salvaged brilliantly there by Michael Rusk by Isaac going to call the engines just for a moment Pass over to Kooper He’s away with that three-pointer Looking to up the pace just a little bit Stoddard It’s good play from Max Stoddard again using his size and physical presence to well on that occasion Oh absolutely I think he picked the dribble up from the free throw line and then just took two commanding steps to the basket Again another absolutely jacked player on the court He’s got such a nice body and used it well on that last play But again the Nuggets unable to capitalize at the chemist stripe Someone put some glad wrap over their hoops tonight from the chemist warehouse stripe Oh I can’t believe it They got one Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite them in the fourth quarter Oh might quite frankly See if uh Canterbury That’s a good steal right there from I think that’s Smiler Might be Christian Martin No it’s Caleb Smiler It is Martin In fact Stoddard trying to bully his way to the basket again and he does zone Just a great textbook post play there Wrapping the elbow around the body of the defender clearing the lane again using his body so well And again Rams unable to convert Nuggets have it in the full court Here’s Smiler on the reverse Very tidy again from Caleb Smiler He’s got eight Nice little run here for Otago Well they’re making up for all those missed free throws on the defensive side Four-point lead That’s their biggest lead of the ball game now Now Darling or Cooper has come off Canterbury and it’s going to be Otago ball I think Darling wanted to get the assist for the slam on that play Wasn’t expecting it to come back and again another great stop from the Nuggets 48.4 left So a couple of possessions at least in this quarter Now Rusk Rusk trying to weave through those players He does so and unfortunately Boomer can’t pick it up Here comes Canterbury now Darling for three Max Darling nails it That’s a big basket That is a massive basket with 20 seconds left to go in this third quarter Well target that wasn’t the result they were looking for out of that last 20 seconds Now they have a chance Popeye knows by three potentially four Nice strong move but it’s not going to result Now Canterbury can they take the lead here to third they can Fantastic finish from Brody Cooper And that last minute of play has not gone to plan for Otago but it’s been beautiful for Canterbury as they reclaim the lead And again just in transition right there You don’t see the fast enough rotation there from the Nuggets Maybe not wanting to foul on that last play but drops to the Rams Coming out strong the last 30 seconds It was looking great for the Nuggets going into the final stretch there And then Rams just ramped it up Well the Otago team are up 26-22 and now they’ve just conceded the last six straight points to concede the lead again But it feels like this game is just beautifully balanced It could go either way here Oh absolutely right I mean we saw it in the stat sheet at the beginning as well Pretty much every step very similar and both teams basically the same on the ladder as well So getting what we expected Mana Martin’s the leading scorer in the game with 16 Pat Freeman nine and Max Stodd has seven Caleb Smile has got 82 for the Otago Nuggets Check out all the Chemist Warehouse stats Official stats partner of the Cells NBL coming up at the end of this game Love the coaching there from Jeffrey Sparrow He’s right into it And lovely enthusiasm from him trying to fire up his team for the last four minutes of this one So final quarter underway It’s going to be Canterbury with the first possession Darling reach in there from one of the Otago players It’s going to go on Patrick Freeman again Yeah that was good heads up play there from um Darling Freeman was just relaxed on defense and he’s on his fourth foul now Oh he’s on four fouls And he just saw him on his heels and did a nice little curl cut to the basket And once he gets past you you’re not going to stop that freight train Good free throw shooting the last time that Max Stling was at the chemist warehouse stripe and that continues I have a feeling those free throws are really going to be a big stat at the end of this game Can be now nine from 10 They’ve only missed one in this game and it target one from six almost miss two now I think when every single point matters I mean granted the Nuggets are at the bottom of the table in the South but every point matters and you have to take a little bit of pride in those gimme shots Free throws are gimmies You got to practice them cuz one for six as a team is not great Here’s Kate Mana Martin again Oh that was a tidy finish from Mana Martin wasn’t it he tried the Caleb Smiler spin move went back the other way and somehow managed to throw it up with the left got the roll and another in one opportunity What’s not to like about watching Mana Martin play basketball he’s doing it all at the moment That’s 18 points He’s got couple of assists and couple of rebounds as well but Targetago won’t want the sleeve to get any higher as Freeman ensures that it doesn’t Yeah he is having himself a game as well 11 for him so far tonight Loving his strength at the rim He’s giving it 100% isn’t he now Taffy Kates nice finish from the 15year-old He’s got his first points of this one Smiler Stoddard for three Oh a big bucket there from Max Stoddard Big clutch basket from the big man again Great ball rotation Managed to knock Kate off his feet Left it wide open Koopa back to Worththington Kate again Oh the lane opened up and he drove straight through Well he’s got some sort of mythical powers cuz every time he drives no one even tries to stop him Goes untouched Four points now for Kate Nice pass out to Freeman Oh good hands there from Stoddard That was a good finish Wow what an assist and finish on that play Don’t know how they managed it but they pulled it out He got a selfie stick out to grab that one Here is Worthington Two minutes left Only a point Almost a steal there Nice pass and there’s the finish from Cooper Cooper’s got some bunnies I was watching him in the warm-ups and he just showed it there Christian Martin lets it fly Still down by three Minute 45 to go Yeah Rams looking like they’ve got this under control Darling especially if he nails this trip Well he can’t Freeman with the rebound Now Tago need to score here Knox pass out to Smiler Knox for three He’s short with that shot Almost getting in there to disrupt was Christian Martin Can we What do you think K one more basket here Particularly a three might just be enough And this could be it from Martin He can’t nail it And there might be a foul by Tony Worthington there Yeah it was a great box out there again Rams able to clean this up with a great back door pass Cooper elevating getting the finish Got a three-point lead with a minute and 8 seconds left Still plenty of time The NZ player timeout for both teams still there to use two So we’ve got a nice finish to this game coming up Don’t forget in 25 minutes we’ve got the Cells NBL game between these two teams live on Sky Sport Now Caleb Smiler Freeman Freeman finds a way and is fouled right there by Ka Isaac Now these free throws Big free throws coming here Kase Massive free throws Necessary free throws for the Nuggets You’ve got to nail both of these Try to get a steal and get a quick basket Free throw percentage for Otago in this game 16% One from six Patrick Freeman has missed two of them He’s at the Chemist Warehouse stripe now This is getting frustrating That’s a coach killer at this stage in the game Less than a minute to play Down by three You need to at least nail one of these He does but it’s a two-point game for Canterbury They have possession Bit of fullourt pressure coming to from Otardo No they back away So Canterbury here use up as much as 24 seconds as they can Isaac no Made a mockery of that And who’s got the ball oh Otant Otago have got it Nice outlet pass there to Freeman Don’t know how Kai Isaac going for that three-pointer Mind you if it dropped probably was game over Freeman Oh he’s lost it Stolen by Isaac And what do here today foul Definitely They’ve got fouls to give but again a lot of happening in those last two plays Kai Isaac taking that shot from way deep quite quickly Not using much clock but and on the other side of things making it up with that steal there Stoart getting a little lazy on that post up Isaac able to use his speed run around and get the steal So Patrick Freeman trying to see who that foul went on If it was Freeman that’s game over for him I didn’t realize they were in the bonus already Yeah Freeman is out of the game That’s a blow for Otago in these last 22.7 seconds He fouls out with 12 points and five rebounds Still a good game from him Kai Isaac can take the game away from Otago here with this next free throw from the chemist warehouse strike and he does So be very difficult now for the Otago Nuggets to win this game Well I mean 22 seconds is still quite a bit of time If they can get a quick three make said three and try to create a turnover or a steal or get a quick foul might have a chance But like you said not a lot of time It’s Canterbury’s to lose Yep That’s pretty much uh where the state of the game is now Now don’t forget to scan that QR code folks Stick to the big game courtesy of BNZ So Knox to inbound it 22.7 left Nice inbound pass Quick basket’s not going to fall there And Canterbury have got possession And they only need to hold the ball now They’ll win Don’t even need to put the ball up And Knox concedes the foul You know target be a bit frustrated Those free throws I’ve missed six in the game Those are make or break Big big break unfortunately for the Nuggets Now Mana Martin at the line He is four from six from the chemist warehouse stripe in this game and he’s having an excellent offensive game He’s on his chance to get 20 points here with this next free throw and he does so Excellent performance from him So down the stretch Cany just a little too clinical as they get the steal there and another foul is conceded by the Nuggets whose chances of victory just unraveled in these last couple of minutes Yeah again the consistency of the Rams really ramping it up on defense leading to their offensive charge and just getting it done from the chemistry tonight 13 from 16 so far from the line Yes And they’ve outscored Otago by six now in this last quarter And this is Taffford Kate at the chemist warehouse stripe Solid all round game from him in this one He’s got six points Knox One last play here for Otago And Stoddard does help himself to two more points And B&Z player timeout is going to be called there by Ka Isaac As we touched on every single point counts Although remember Canterbury and Wellington are already in the assured of a top place or a top sixth place for the playoffs But good to see Kai Isaac playing this game right to the end B&Z remember is supporting the next generation of Kiwi basketballers by that initiative there Ticket to the big game Maybe one of your teams who could be there free So get into it courtesy of BNZ Hard luck there for Isaac And there’s the last play and Canterbury get the win 42-34 with a fivepoint advantage in that last quarter Outscoring Otago 15 points to 10 Good solid win there for the Rams who get the job done 42-34 Chemist Warehouse stats time And there’s Mana Martin shining like a beacon Absolutely right 20 points for him tonight along with three rebounds two assists But again another big game from Start with 14 Patrick Freeman another big game Unfortunately fouled out He had 12 on the night Smiler with eight Darling Kate Cooper with six a piece And Isaac and Martin with two again Rebounding Big rebounds from Pat Freeman Like we said huge game from him Worthington with six leading all rebounders Darling again with four Stodart Martin and Martin with three a piece Kate Cooper with two And then assist Sharing the ball Well both teams dead even from both sides Not Stoart Martin Kate with two a piece and all others with one and one block a piece Again Patty Freeman with one Isaac with one as well And the Steels again I’m talking Nuggets able to generate those turnovers but unable to capitalize on the other side Again free throw going to be the dagger in the heart for them tonight In the end it was just two from eight from the Chemist Warehouse strike for Otago that six points they gave away with that final margin in fact being six points So there we are 42-36 the fulltime score here in the Sky Broadband Rapidly game We hope you enjoyed it but stay with us There’s more hoops coming shortly We have the cells NBL game tipping off and what’s that 17 minutes here on Sky Sport We hope you can join us then Come on Come on I don’t know Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Yeah Heat Heat Heat Yeah Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Remember Heat Heat All right ladies and gentlemen we like to welcome our visiting team the Gary Ram And so ladies and gentlemen please put your hands together for number 30 And number 12 Max 21 Number 11 Number one somebody And now your starting line number 18 number 14 number seven W number 15 McDonald and your number five And time now for your home team the night Ladies and guys number 22 Le 21 Christian zero Kar Number 12 Max And now starting five number seven Mley Number 42 Jay Season Oh heat heat Heat Heat Heat up here Heat Heat Heat up here Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Well k everybody and welcome to Deneden Happy long weekend What a great way to start Makavari 2025 with watching this game right here live on Sky Sport round 14 of the Cell MBL and it is the Otago Nuggets hosting the Canterbury Rams Great to have your company for this clash which went right down to the wire when these two teams met back in April It went to overtime with the Rams pinching the game 108 to 107 But a lot of things have changed since then Pacing Bookman and the fortunes of both teams have kind of headed in completely opposite directions Yeah to put it politely yes they are on complete opposite sides of the ladder Unfortunately for the Nuggets but at this stage they’ve got nothing to lose So expect them to lay it all out on the line Yeah 89% of you out there in the mixandpick.com picking the Rams to win Not surprising giving given where they are on the championship ladder at the moment that 1 to7 margin the most popular although 18 plus is getting a lot of support as well but yes this category Rams team nine wins in a row they’re humming like a welloiled machine heading into this game here against their southern neighbors tonight here in Deneden there they are on top of the table 13 wins and two losses their place in the top six is assured with only five games to play Wellington also assured of a top six spot But the race is on Boy is it on for those last four spots Casey Oh absolutely And we talked about it earlier in the Rapid League game Every single point every possession matters from this stage on if you want to make that top six Every other team in this league apart from Otago is in with a chance of making the top six So it’s going to be an exciting stretch of the season It’s going to be tough for Nelson to make it though They’ve only got two games left and they’re going to need to win both of them and have some other results go their way But they’re not in action over the next two or three days They can sit back and watch all these other games Starting with that Hawk Sharks game tomorrow night from Napia A couple of big games for the Sharks coming up over the weekend as well They’re in Oakland on Sunday The Bulls who have uh fallen off a cliff I think it’s probably safe to say they can they get their campaign back on track when they host the ears that one coming up on Saturday afternoon and then Wellington hosting Toadonga in Wellington 6:30 on Saturday night as well So lots of intrigue coming in those four games over the next little while Let’s have a look at the starting fives now for this game And we got to start with the Canterbury team and this is a pretty solid looking unit again Taylor Britt he’s been in outstanding form all year Shan McDonald Kyle Bowen the two Australians to Smith Milner lots of experience there and of course Walder Brown who’s playing very well in the last couple of years as well Coach of course is Quinn Clinton Let’s hear now from one of the Aussies Sha McDonald The Rams have been rolling with nine straight wins What’s the key to keep this winning streak going and not get complacent as you come down the home stretch yeah I think for us it’s understanding that our best basketball needs to be played in a couple weeks time Um you know wins and losses are important now to keep that rolling but for us it’s just about building towards uh the playoffs and and how we can be performing uh later in the season And it targetgo struggled to find the winner circle but have been competitive in their most recent games What do the Rams need to be wary of tonight yeah I mean I don’t think their record shows how good of a team they are They’ve been in pretty much every game they’ve played So um yeah we need to stay true to our identity Um that’s kind of what we’re building towards and and maintain ball pressure and and keep these guys out of the paint They got some guys that can really score So yeah we need to be locked in on that end Awesome Thanks for your time Best of luck Sean McDonald 21 points per game at 47% He’s also chipping in with four assists as well He’s been excellent since joining the team midseason Let’s have a look at the Nuggets starting five now for this game And we’re going to have a look at Jonno Jansen Matt Bsley Don Kerry Jr and his American buddy Jaylen Sabri and the other starting today is Josh Herson for coach Mike Kelly who we’re going to hear from now Josh Herson In recent games the Nuggets have been strong heading into the fourth quarter but have faulted down the stretch What is the key to converting these close encounters to wins yeah look we’ve had some tough games We’ve been right in it right till the end probably even the last last half of the fourth quarter I think we just got to really uh lock into our game plan and play that full four quarters The Rams have been a machine offensively sitting in the top three in many statistical categories What are the Nuggets hoping to limit to give the squad a chance at the upset yeah look they’ve got a heap of heap of players I think they’re bringing Tall Blacks off the bench Um they’ve been a powerful unit for the last couple years We’ll just do what we can to limit them and yeah hopefully it goes our way Thanks All the best Josh Herson is a two-time MBL champion himself winning titles with Otago back in 2020 and 2022 It’s going to be tough for them to win this game isn’t it with uh yeah all of the uh all of those stats there on the right hand side favoring the team Well yeah they definitely have everything stacked against them And one stat that’s not showing up there is their fourth quarter performance in the last five games They’re at a negative 40 overall in the last five games In the fourth quarter so that means for you at home they’re not great at finishing the game So if they can kind of flip that around like they said in the interviews they have been in most games but it’s just that fourth quarter close out that they really need to polish up Well they’re going to rely if that if they can turn it around they’re going to rely heavily on Jonno Jansen 18 points per game at 43% Sabri at 15 points per game Don Kerry 23 Those are the three players offensively they’re going to have to get going And in all honesty they’re going to have to get going defensively as well big time Oh 100% And that they’re just going to need to slow things down and not let the Rams get out in transition and on offense slow it down run their sets and try to get some good looks Again valuing every single possession Yeah And Josh Herson not incorrect when he says that Canterbury have tall blacks coming off the bench Kyle Isaac and Max Darling and also they the American they have CJ Pena is coming off a bench again today in this game So plenty of talent there for Quinn Clinton the coach of Cadbury in this game once again Matt Baurst Rean Ashley Leo Shaw going to be the officials for this one Smile We are locked in forever What about this team here the Jugenoi when a chat to Casey Frank recently he still thinks Canterbury are beatable Doesn’t think they’re uh a lock in for this title Well everybody’s beatable you know It can go either way They might have the worst game of their season tonight We don’t know And it just depends on how the Otago Nuggets can perform if they can capitalize on that on their home court You know they’ve got a lot on the line Uh unfortunately their postseason uh you know their postseason is can’t can’t come up with a word but they can still leave it out there and give the Rams a bit of a headache going into their postseason They could have a nightmare in one game and it’s all over I think that’s what you’re trying to hint That’s what I was trying to say Couldn’t couldn’t get the words going But yeah I really think the Nuggets with nothing to lose I mean you got to play for each other You got to build for next year You know try to bring up those younger players I mean they’ve done so well in the Rapid League They fell a little bit short tonight but if they can get those Rapid League players going they can really start to build that winning culture again for next season Yes Rapid League game went the way of Canterbury 42-36 Mana Martin Shawn in that game with 20 points almost half the points for his team as but it was a tight game for most of it with in just the end of the game just being a little bit more clinical down the stretch of that one to close it out It’s a great thrill for always a youngster to deliver the match ball to the players So all set for a start in this one and it’s going to be Otago with the first possession So thank you for joining us Round 14 of the Celves India Otago with the first play Perry Junior going to work straight away Barsley takes up position That’s Oh great play from Bsley Couldn’t nail the jumper to close it out as McDonald comes down court now Smith Milner A miss that Bsley hopefully will put away straight away flush it down the Dunny as they say as we see McDonald Oh rattle in the three to get things going for Canterbury Ah what a shot there from Shawn McDonald picking up right where he left off He’s been excellent for this team He goes about he just quietly collects the points as well as Brown takes the rebound for Canary Nothing particularly flashy about Shawn McDonald He’s such an efficient player And speaking of efficient players there’s Brit And there’s some big gaps baseline right there Kase Yeah absolutely No weak side rotation there from the Nuggets We saw it a little bit in the Rapid League game Hopefully they can sharpen that up defensively cuz the Rams will take advantage Staff for Canterbury as Jansen gets his first touch mismatch against Taylor Brick But oh I think that came off Bowen In fact it hasn’t It’s going to be Canterbury ball Yeah it’s a tough look there again Had a double team on him Tried to use his body again Just kind of throwing up a prayer at that stage Good defense there from the Rams And of course a Melbourne United player in the last NBL season Then Australia beaten finalist by the Ilawar Hawks There’s Brett over to McDonald Bowen again Brett See what Bowen can do double team straight away which means the players open They get it to the sharpshooter again and McDonald delivers Yeah beautiful work there again on the weak side Not able to see it but Walter Brown set an amazing screen down low to leave that three wide open and the Rams get the steal again and a foul against the Nuggets Sloppy beginnings here from the Otago Nuggets Yeah beautiful play from Bowen wasn’t it it’s like he was chopping wood with an axe and he broke that piece of wood in two one single blow Oh don’t leave him Not for a third Jeez it wasn’t far away was it no it was not It was a good look Harry Jr Jr loses the ball and he’s lost it stone cold out of court there Everything going Canterbury’s way to start this game So we talked about it at the beginning The Nuggets need to slow down a little bit on offense Value the possession Again just rushing through everything at the moment Need to get on the same page Smith Milner Here’s Brown Time getting in the road was Barsley So first turnover goes to It Herson comes down court Barsley fancies himself against Toy Smith Milner Here comes McDonald in transition for Canterbury and a foul this time by Jaylen Sabri again Great drive there Good recognition from McDonald to draw that foul and we’re seeing early on that the Rams are so deadly in that transition game Looks like a timeout’s been called straight away by Mike Kelly doesn’t like what he sees in these first few minutes as Otago remain scoreless after the first 2 minutes and 4 seconds with Canterbury off to the races McDonald already has six points What about that pizza there it’s going to taste pretty good if you load up on that large cut pepperoni for $29.99 Just scan the QR code that offer from sales valid until next Tuesday I like the poise of the Rams that they’re carrying I mean they are coming off nine back-to-back wins which would give any team a boost of confidence but the way that they share the ball they don’t rush Maybe that one Walter Brown turnover there that that was just great defense but again just offensively they look calm cool and collected And it’s the opposite story for the Nuggets rushing through things trying to force shots that aren’t there And it just goes to show the difference between the two I just go back to that first basket that that Matt Barsley missed that layup He was Yeah created space from something didn’t complete it And I’m just thinking that kind of sums up where the Nuggets are right now Yeah And again a lot of changes throughout the season you know and still getting used to it It’s not a long enough season to be able to get used to each other but it’s kind of nice cuz it puts the pressure on the players that they wouldn’t necessarily have in a standard season Well McDonald misses the free throw He’s been going at 77% This season from the chemist warehouse strike Here’s the second one This is his ninth game Shan McDonald’s coming over from Melbourne or rather from Tasmania He’s playing for four seasons now Here’s Sabri Sabri hasn’t got his hands on the ball yet Enough for Mike Kelly’s liking Jansen Oh he’s good from that distance normally but he misses that one Darling Kai Isaac can’t nail the triple Almost standing out of bounds there That was a close call Kerry Jr going to go around Isaac Can’t get the reverse The Anson tidies up though That’s good finish from Jonno Jansen That’s great for the Nuggets again Stick with those offensive rebounds Try to get some easy chip in shots But it’s taken 3 minutes and 40 seconds for Otago to get their first points of this ball game Brown Isaac for three And there’s Kyle Isaac nailing a triple But again just the patience of the Rams on the wing Again not taking the first look they get moving the ball sharing the ball well And again just putting on a display Already a 10-point game Kiri Jr minimal contact there from Max Darling but contact enough says the officials Yeah it’ll be that lower hand probably riding the hip of Don Kerry Jr Max Darling again trying to stay in front of him because he is going to be a little bit slower than Kerry Jr Uh but yeah can’t have the hand on the hip They will call it Jameson now Sabri tough shot there from Sabri Sabri and Kerry Jr not getting good looks at the moment at all Oh McDonald He’s not going to miss that one It’s about to be a feel Another timeout perhaps called here for the Nuggets in the first quarter And just Rams in sync on both offense and defense making it difficult for the Nuggets Barsley trying to work on Pinhar and there goes the turnover Bowen has it Fast break opportunity here for Kyle Way He just lost the ball for a moment Here’s McDonald Darling with 10 on the shot clock Darling going to work Oh that was tidy And he lets them know too Absolutely Bully basketball from Darling Love to see him use his body so well and get that nice finish First points of the game for Max Stling Only started three games this season as Kerry Jr Oh blocked by Bowen And in the end a three drops from Sabri And that’ll be the life they need to get going here in the second part of this first quarter Great shot in the corner Turnovergo through Sabri and Barsley doesn’t miss that layup Targetago getting a nice bit of momentum into their game now Yeah absolutely Slow to start but picking things up here now defensively leading to offensive charge but not on that possession wide open under the basket Can’t get it to go Can he kick it out for a Max Darling three not successful but they got the offensive board There’s McDonald getting another triple He’s got 12 points already Cannot leave him open Must deny not let him get the ball in his hands Well basketball’s a funny game isn’t that that was a horrible offensive set there from Canterbury They still walk away with three points Jansen can’t nail that Good defense that time by Darling Here’s McDonald again Can’t get the triple this time Penhard though tidies up Good movement down court from the American And another timeout coming Yeah again you just can’t have those mishaps especially in transition D first responsibility is the basket ball next pass And Otago Nuggets are not covering those three basic principles Again Rams capitalizing finding those players underneath the basket getting the easy looks Yeah it’s pretty ugly already for Otago isn’t it canterbury comfortably pulled clear early in this game Boy Shaw McDonald’s got a lovely outside shot on him hasn’t he oh and it’s so quick as well And he’s looking straight away to hit that three Done super well in this first quarter That’s up to 12 points already Three three-pointers he’s shot in this game so far He’s shooting the ball at 58% Otago down at 27 Really struggling to get good looks in their offense They’re just not quite functioning particularly well in that area No not at all But the Rams they I love their their team basketball Yes it’s well balanced in the scoring but when they have a hot hand they are finding the hot hand and feeding the beast and letting them go Then if it gets a little bit cold then the next person can go And another important stat that most teams don’t follow No one in the Rams lineup is playing more than 30 minutes a game Some are on the cusp but everyone is under 30 minutes of play And that just goes to show you the depth of this roster Yes indeed Nice defense That’s a good breakout though by Otago Freeman feeds it to Jansen Jansen gets his own rebound eventually Smith Milner tidies up for Canterbury Couple of looks there for Jansen I think he thought he was going to get a little bit of contact on that last play Hence why he missed it so roughly underneath Isaac Now that’s come off Smiler And it’s a loose ball foul there I think it’s going to go against Christian Martin It is Christian Martin out there now 21 for Otago Smith Milner He’s Isaac Shot clock down to four Brett for three It’s better from Otago as we see Kerry Jr grab the rebound Jansen up high marked by Smith Milner That’s going to be two shots from the Chemist Warehouse strike I mean that was a heads up play there from Jansen Felt the contact was completely off balance Why not throw it up try to get the foul And he did just that A nice job by the 30-year-old former Rams player of course back in 2019 Jansen’s been going at 65% from the chemist warehouse stripe in this game South Africanborn player as we get another free throw dropped as well So 21-9 It’s nice to see the free throws going in for the Nuggets in this NBL game Cost them in the rapidly game for sure didn’t it now Brit CJ Penhard Jr rolls it over to Isaac Another turnover from O from Canterbury Yeah I know you play hard defense and you you could get results Absolutely But I the Rams you know they’ve got a little bit of a comfortable lead right now So they’re going for passes they probably wouldn’t normally sling around if it was a tighter game But I I like the ball movement Jansen marked closely by Max Stling Now Christian Martin looking for space and he’s turned it over Smith Milner and here’s Taylor Britt Easy there for Taylor Brit gets his first In fact that’s his fourth point now of the game as Canterbury He’s back out to a 14-point lead again That is a costly turnover there for the Nuggets Max Darling just ahead of the game there anticipating the pass and they get the two Rams commanding the lead now CJ Penhard Jr gets his first points of the game 16-point lead for Canterbury and that is their biggest lead of the game as we have 90 seconds left in this first period Jansen tough shot for him to make Freeman almost picked off the rebound but in the end it’s going to be Canterbury possession Yeah again another tough look there from Jansen Thought he might have had it but shooting it off balance Like to see him move that ball out kick it out and repost and try to gain your ground again But going for that fadeaway offbalance shot is just not going to do it against this Rams team Taylor Britt Here’s Brown Junior Oh that’s a tough finish there for Penhard Jr as Smith Milner has it smashed out of his hands by Caleb Smiler Yeah again Smith Milner clearing the lane for that offensive board was able to knock Sabri off his feet He got the rebound and the foul in the end So he’ll have a chance from the chemist strike to Smith Moon Interesting play this year just quietly going about as business for Canterbury 13 points per game at 25 minutes per game eight rebounds a game This number’s still pretty solid I mean you just look at the Rams it’s all very well balanced Even their bench players coming off with nine 10 17 points They’re just sharing the ball well and they’re really thriving Just nine points so far in this quarter Just over a minute to play as Knox Here’s Freeman trying to create some thing for Ota but he can’t secure two points as Brit comes down court Here’s McDonald again It’s a good rebound by Sabri Sabri triple goes in from Smiler He can’t nail it from outside Taylor Brit coming down court for Canterbury Smith Milner Here’s McDonald a mid-range jumper And that’s Stoddard tidying up for a target Now they really need a basket here with this last play Oh absolutely right Got to finish this quarter strong get into those double digits Give yourself a boost going into the second quarter Sabri trying to do something It’s blocked by Brown in the end Jansen might go to the line to shoot two from the chemist warehouse stripe He’s concerned there for Jaylen Sabri He’s going to walk away All right As long as he’s got a smile on his face that’s it’s all right But a good job by Jansen cleaning up that board 3 seconds left to play Able to get himself to the line Can he put them in double digits for the second quarter can’t nail the first again Free throws been the kryptonite for the Nuggets nails the second Ram still with a chance here to throw up a prayer Here goes Fritz Can he do it little floater has just not waited enough but still an excellent quarter for the table topping Canterbury Rams who take a comfortable lead after the first 10 minutes over the Otago Nuggets It’s 27 points to 10 South Indianapolis Nice lead 25 seconds to go Come on Everybody has the team It’s category 27 Otago 10 after the first quarter here in Deneden And Otago shooting the ball at just 17% in that first quarter Canterbury 47% Otago only got three field goals in that first quarter Boy the alarm bells are well and truly ringing Absolutely right The Nuggets looking a little bit hesitant on offense but Rams just calm cool and collected moving the ball well Second quarter underway Canterbury very comfortable margin after the first 10 minutes Brit can’t get the roll off the rim Jansen he’s doing it He’s doing all right for Otago in this game Yeah he’s getting in there making a uses of himself grabbing grabbing his fourth rebound in the game and also scoring four points so far Also Brie smashed by Brown Barsley Oh what a muscle play What a play there from Walter Brown as Brick comes down court On more than one occasion Brown really putting his body on the line and there’s Jansen giving Bowen a piece of action A amazing effort there from Walter Brown on the last play jumping back in from out of bounds keeping the possession alive for the Rams Yeah it was fantastic Actually that foul went on Josh Herson for Otago Here is Bowen Nice pass into Brit Kick out pass to Max Darling Darling’s going to tip it to Brown for another play McDonald with a runaround three again He’s got 15 points He’s got four from seven from beyond the ark already He’s just got a sweet looking shot McDonald again coming off that curl play right out of his hands Just smooth as butter He could help himself to a very high score if he keeps shooting in this manner Tom Don Kerry Jr can’t nail that one Now McDonald tidies up for Canterbury Darling back to Brown Brown getting tripped up there by Matt Barley Nuggets really need to lock in defensively try to get a stop continue to chip away at this lead Darling misses the triple but there’s Brown tiding up on the weak side and getting two points They’re just getting every 50/50 ball every rebound belongs to the Rams so he might have an injury an ankle on the play here Not looking good Tyler Brett down No sense trying to be tough on this when you’ve got a 22-point lead Exactly So Brit’s going to get some attention side of the court Herson now Sabri can’t get his second three as Brown That’s a good rebound from Would Brown Here’s McDonald again Nice from Shawn McDonald No one can stop that man tonight But again Walter Brown give him his flowers cleaning it up for his team Just hustling acting like it’s 000 right now And I love that energy from him Jansen out to Sabri coming for the foul there and gets one out of Shaw McDonald McDonald was trying everything but to foul He wanted to avoid the foul by all means necessary and ended up with it anyway Good work from Sabri Now these free throws very important again gone very cold They haven’t scored in this quarter Long periods already casing where the Nuggets just can’t score Well they don’t have the luxury of having prolific scores in the depth that the Rams have but they need to have somebody come to life here and get things going offensively Not the time to be passive Got to look to be aggressive get the ball moving try to shift the defense a little bit Right now it’s just too easy for the Rams Isaac over to McDonald again who already has 17 points in the game That’s Walter Brown lining it up from outside It’s just a great offensive set but terrible defensive closeouts from the Nuggets Again just miscommunications Not moving well not getting to shooters just making it easy HSN can’t nail the three Oh Jansen That’s a bonus rebound for him Yeah you see them high-fiving each other at the top of the screen there They both thought the other had the rebound Brown Jansen up to six points now Here’s McDonald No foul there from Josh Aerson This time there will be a foul under the basket again That man taking his time getting to the basket Has a chance from the line He has just been so impressive tonight with 20 points already Yeah he’s his highest score of the season is 31 against Tuittado back in late April just the second game The way he’s going that’s going to be well and truly under threat in this one Even in this first half someone needs to be willing to step up try to shut him off But at the moment the demeanor of the Nuggets is just passive You know Rams able to run their offense so easily Not not much pressure happening outside the key And again just getting these offensive rebounds things that should be cleaned up by the Nuggets Rams they have come to play Yes Smiler can sees the foul there on Ka Isaac It’s only three points in this quarter so far Countering 10 Now McDonald Shaw McDonald doing it all in this game Helping himself to two more So confident Great shot Making it all happen Like you said he can score from anywhere Bley Jensen again working on Walder Brown Johnson just couldn’t wait that right Good defense again by Canterbury McDonald And there’s McDonald fouled by Jansen It’s going to be his second personal in the game You just see the Rams they know McDonald’s having himself a night so they’re just letting him go and Nuggets have no answer for his game right now There’s just a real smoothness and about the way he plays and finishes Bowen goes to the line now for Canterbury He’s been averaging 11 points per game at 53% 63% from the chemist warehouse stripe He’s going to check out for Darling who checks back in He seems to be limping as well Couple players out with a seem to be ankle injury Yeah Taylor Brick was the first one of course Haven’t seen him since There’s a quick three-pointer from Freeman Isaac tidies up Brown comes down court for Canterbury McDonald for three Can’t nail that one Christian Martin’s got it Nice pass to Kerry Jr Junior is going to be fouled by Smith Milner Yeah it was a good foul Nice early foul Don’t let him get to the line from Towi Smith Milner again Nuggets looking for something to get going offensively here right now Just at a stalwart Rams defense proving to be too much Two shots coming up here for Don Kerry Jr Junior been going at 83% from the Kuma Square gets two from two from that visit So six of the 15 points for the Nuggets have come from the free throw line Yep Just nine outside as Mike Kelly wants to talk things over again One three-pointer now by Sabri and the other field goals two to Jansen one to Bley That’s it for Otago You know what Canterbury you can see Clinton has taken the scoreboard right out of the game as all good coaches should do in these situations Kase it’s all about execution performance and moving on Yeah Well I mean they are sitting pretty here at the top of the table you know but like we say every single point matters So they just have to keep the pedal to the metal keep playing their game cuz you don’t want to falter You don’t want to play down to the level of the Nuggets right now And they’ve done a great job of staying high on 50% shooting from the field 60% from inside the arc 40% behind the arc and 50% from the free throw line So that’s their their only bad spot on the night They’ve already put up 15 three-point attempts in this game with Sha McDonald nailing five of the six they’ve scored Ka Isaac the other player to have got a triple in this game McDonald already on 22 points as he hunts down a season’s high score Not to mention the rebounding They are out rebounding them 24-2 So every single 50/50 ball is going in favor of the Rams Even though that foul was given up there by Pat Freeman it was to see some tough defense being played by few of the younger players by Otaga But with 539 to play of course it’s all going Cabby’s way Otago in the penalty and here’s Shawn McDonald again Well if I’m if I’m Nuggets head coach you’ve got nothing to lose Put the young players in right your starters aren’t really doing much for you You’ve only got 15 points on the board Put the young ones in See what they can do See if they can inject some energy into this game and he has done just that Parts from Don Kerry Jr does have the young roster on the floor Indeed Max Stoddard back out there And there he is putting up a three Max Stoddard He’s away with that one Smith Milner the way he’s after we see McDonald come down court again It’ll be interesting to see if we see Taylor Brit in this game again Oh Oh there’s McDonald Oh that’s unlucky Oh that would have been a highlight play Just had a little bit too much gas on it Kerry Jr has it stripped out of his hands darling Here comes Walder Brown Oh Isaac with him A little untidy for Canterbury on that play as we see Christian Martin come down court for Otago and he’s fouled driving That’ll be another foul on McDonald Only his second of the game Great drive there from the Nuggets Christian Martin’s going to shoot two 21 years of age as most young players out in New Zealand know he’s from North Harour He’s been getting nine minutes per game this season in the in 14 of the 16 games that Otago have played That’s two from the chemist warehouse strike Christian Martin 17 points for Otago and eight of them are from the chemist warehouse stripe Here’s Isaac Nice pass into Darling Oh good defense in the end here by Kerry Jr but he had no option but to concede the foul there Yeah absolutely right I like that challenge from Don Kerry Jr Not scared at all to go up against the beast of Max Darling They’ll have a chance to add to this lead with two from the line Max Darling on the season shooting 62% from the free throw line Maybe give that a little bump here Got a bit of action in the Rapidly game tonight as well which Canterbury won 42 to 36 Gets two from two on that visit Remember every free throw made can contributes funds to the BBNZ hoots in schools program as we see Freeman missed that opportunity Now Brit back out there now which is a good sign after that little tumble on the ankle earlier Penhard Jr for three He’s away and Jansen gives it to Kerry Jr Oh just away with that pass Smiler couldn’t salvage it Now when you’re struggling you don’t want to give away the ball of that nature Yeah especially on a fast break like that Got to collect the ball try to make a good pass Again just opportunity after opportunity for the Nuggets Not capitalizing Britain on the shot clock Now Junior Nice defense play by Jansen or was it but the foul is going on start other not Jansen ctor start out there Yeah was a nice nice patience play there from Pinha Jr and getting that nice little spin back to the left So he will again have chance 42 coming into the game shooting 68% from the free throw line 25 years of age Few injuries through his campaign just starting the one game this season for Canterbury What a luxury that is One of American imports or the only American import not starting That just shows you the depth of the Rams Jansen back out there now for Otago Here’s Stoddard Kenning Stoddard and Jansen out there And he’s pushed off the ball by Smith Milner No whistle either Here’s Isaac Dar Jr for three I reckon that came off Smith Milner No it’s going to be it is going to be target ball rather You can just see the body language of the Nuggets It feels like they’ve already written themselves off coming into this game How they’ve opened up this first half Really hope they can turn it around finish off this this half strong Yeah important three minutes coming up for Otago as we see Jansen Stoddard And that’s a good finish from Max Stoddard That’s a great way to start it Get things going Chip away Try to get a stop here Pick up the defense Pick up the communication Starlight has three points Smith Milner we know he can light it up from downtown And there’s his first triple of the game Yeah you cannot leave him open He is one of the purest three-point shooters in this league Smiler can’t respond Stling gets in there with another rebound for Canterbury That’s rebound number three for him Kai Isaac Oh yes Second three of the game for him Another prolific three-point shooter Ka Isaac making it rain from deep Canterbury hit 50 Still two minutes to play That’s their seventh three-pointer in the game Stoddard Sabri with four on the shot clock Three goes in and nailed it right there from Caleb Smiler What a shot getting it at the last second by the Nuggets Second three of the game for Otago found it very tough at the other end of the quarters Rick can’t nail that one and look for the foul Wasn’t coming Knocks Jansen Jansen will be fouled and go to the Chemist Warehouse Drive for two Not bad little run here for the Nuggets You’ll see the replay here of the Rapid League game Or is that No What that was way earlier Sorry Wait 50 to 22 Jansen who’s got six points and five rebounds now for Otago and that’s missed by Jansen as we see Penhar Jr Oh he took steps there I reckon Yeah did so it’s going to be more possession for Otago Yeah And again the Rams they’ve got a nice cushion here so they can afford to make those mistakes but like they talked about earlier they want to keep it clean going into this postseason Great handles there from Don Kerry Jr on the baseline showing his craft That’s a nice play from Kerry Jr Four points for him as Canterbury have their lead cut just a little bit that earlier three from Caleb Smiler Very nice shot from him That was right on the last second of that 24 possession So still a big lead for Canterbury as uh let’s see Shawn McDonald leading the scores at the moment Case with 23 and Jansen with seven and six for Otago Yeah he’s been massive for the Nuggets in this first half Again most not able to score Again this Rams defense credit to them playing extremely well hustling after those 50/50 balls rebounding well but again it’s going to it’s going to take the Nuggets just completely riding off this first half and coming out fresh in the second half Try to reset And again they’ve got a long way to go but they can’t dwell on this first half Come back out come out strong in the third quarter and they might have a chance Absolutely Don’t forget there’s more hoops coming up tomorrow Matariki we can still enjoy that game at 6:00 tomorrow night between the Hawks and the Sharks It’s going to be ninth versus sixth Just one win between them Big win big game coming up there for the Hawks We’ve been in this top six all season And there’s Pinhard Jr rattling in a triple to get that lead back out to 28 Yeah he’ll be happy to see that one go in He’s missed a couple there but nice shot from Pinha Jr He’s on he’s on eight points in the game Sabri Jansen going to work against McDonald Bit of a size mismatch there but and Jansen wins that little play Just beating off the defenders left right and center Boy play to the finish Nine points for Jansen McDonald Nice pass That’s good play Quality play Shawn McDonald He’s so shifty He’s got nice little ball fake head fakes getting the defense to shift Sabrina Well let’s end it up back in Jansen’s hands again and he helps himself to two more That’s a nice little behind the back pass there Unintentional but Nuggets able to capitalize Sabri would have put up that layup there but in the end Jansen was in the right place at the right time Exactly So Benzy play a timeout called here by the Rams with 7.5 seconds to play in this second quarter Remember your chance to win tickets to the big game Scan that QR code folks B&Z is supporting the next generation of Kiwi basketballers Get along to the Cel’s NBL game Brits Now let’s see Yeah I got another BNC player timeout called here Nice job there by Don Kerry Jr So the Nuggets will have a chance here to go into this the halftime with a couple more points on the board They can build on that Get the fire going for the second half Not much time though 1.6 seconds left Going to have to be a quick shot Definitely Knocks to inbound iter just away So a very healthy lead for Canterbury It was 17 at quarter time It has been bumped up by another nine in this quarter It’s the table topping Canterbury Rams up 55-29 over Otago here in Dened from school playing for us today as they’ll be taking class and to both teams in join Beautiful Oh my god Halime here in Deneden Thank you for joining us here at it is all Canterbury at Halime in round 14 of the Cells MBL Of course this week across the Cells MBL we’re celebrating inclusive round which is a powerful reminder that basketball is a game for everyone Let’s check out the Chemist Warehouse stats at halftime and we got Shawn McDonald putting on an absolute clinic with 20 points in that first half Jansen for the Nuggets keeping them alive He’s got 11 Penhan Jr with 10 Carrie Jr Sabri with four a piece Kai Isaac with six Smith Milner Brown with five And Stodart and Smiler with three And just scoring clinic for the Rams Jansen again Big things for the Nuggets He’s got seven rebounds Smith Milner and Brown with five a piece Darling and Bone with four Stoodart and Isaac with three Barsley cleaning up two Martin and Freeman with one a piece and assists I was going to say Jansen’s really been the lone ranger for Otago so far in this game Yeah I mean he’s really trying He’s putting it all out there Carrie Jr they need him to get going but he’s struggling to get going They’re really locking him down having to work for every shot he’s able to get off And Walter Brown talk about his game Oh my gosh he’s the hustleman on and off throwing himself out of bounds keeping the play alive getting a couple of blocks and just doing it all for his team As you see there he’s got one steel but Smith Milner and Darling with two a piece Yeah Kerry Jr and Sabri the two Americans Otago have only put up nine shots in the first half between them So yeah some big matches coming up over the next little while Starting with that Hawk Sharks game tomorrow 50/50 games pretty much all of these ones with the Bulls and the Ears battling away in Pukakoy and then the Saints hosting the fight on Saturday And there’s another big game coming up for the Sharks that one on Sunday with them visiting Oakland to play the Tour Tarta I’m not going to ask you to pick winners in any of those four games It’s too tough Way too tough You can see the game being played at halftime here It’s a unified sports game or basketball game where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities are playing side by side So a really neat initiative by basketball New Zealand in this round of the cells MBL which will continue very shortly with the Rams up over otago 55-29 Thank you for that Ready for Target outcome by just tomorrow and that is one letter capital Squishion Third quarter not too far away here between Cadbury and Oago Thank you for staying with us here on Sky Sport from Deneden The very comfortable lead for Canterbury They outscored Otago by 17 in the first quarter and by another nine in that second quarter We’ve talked about Kerry Jr and Sabri just eight points between their two American players and they’re just not getting any dominance at all against this well drilled Canterbury team who are looking set for their 10th win in a row Got to uh give their coaching staff a lot of credit here too Quinn Clinton He’s just 26 years old Kase in his first year coaching the team Big shoes to follow with Jud Flavl of course moving on to the Tall Blacks now Yes Flav still as Flavl is rather still involved with the Canterbury team But it would have been easy for coach Clinton to I don’t know He’s off the the the gas a little bit preserve Taylor Britt maybe with that injured twisted ankle but he threw him back out there You know he wants to keep the momentum going Exactly Right And you want to you don’t want them to get casual You want them to keep that high intensity as you know if it’s you’re walking into the game you’re top of the ladder you’re playing against the bottom of the ladder you probably are going to win the game But you don’t want to get that casual mindset thinking that you’re going to win just by walking on the floor And the Rams have done the complete opposite of that mindset Coming in sharing the ball well finding shooters again getting McDonald going and then Walter Brown hustling cleaning up the boards defensively creating the turnovers And then you’ve got Smith Milner who’s such a prolific shooter and he’s willing to take a backseat to let McDonald thrive So again just the full team experience from the Rams in that first half Yeah well said It’s exactly what it is And it’s a great credit to the mindset of this team here the players who all on the same page here And defensively they’re just locking up rotating well clogging the lane Again not allowing those American imports to get going And it truly is to the detriment of the Nuggets cuz they don’t have that backup prolific shooter you know someone else needs to step up and try to take those shots But Jansen again he has come in he’s doing such a great job trying to get the team going Let’s see what he could do for them in this second half He’s hustled well 11 points seven rebounds There is coach Clinton His business face is on as we start this third quarter I love it So with the first possession can Sabri and Kerry Jr start lining it up they can’t line it up Why not get a foul taylor Brit Yeah Taylor Britt on that reach in Thought it might have gone against McDonald but I was wrong Well that’s his third foul Taylor Britt Straight away it is Sabri going to the line Can’t get that first one to fall again Just not the night for Sabri This is the second remains on four points He’s one from four of the chemist Warehouse strife in this game Now it get down by this margin He can’t afford to miss his free throws as Bowen has it smashed out of his hands by Sabri Nice job by the American See if that kickstamps something here for the Nuggets again posting up here on McDonald And Walder Brown tidies up And here comes Brit again Smith Milner Here’s Brit Oh yes Beautiful play from Bowen to create the space That was a great job from Bowen Great recognition and Brit going down into the lane untouched Brit has six in this game Herson Kiri Jr with those long arms and there’s a three-point play There he goes Love that for Don Kerry Jr taking it to Walter Brown forcing him to play some tough D and he’ll have a chance for the three-point play Kerry Jr player at the line He hasn’t missed one Kim Warehouse strike in this game so far We just put the markers on him No No Ice in his veins Nice job So he has seven The lead is back to 25 Biggest lead of the game has been 31 for Canterbury Here’s Brown Over to McDonald Interesting to see too that Quinn Clinton has started this third quarter with his starting five again as we see McDonald Oh that’s beautiful What great basketball there from Shawn McDonald Yeah unbelievable stuff Bowen is getting chiffy underneath with Sabri Saw it on the last play even though the Rams got the easy lay Bowen was throwing his hands up in protest of something but hopefully nothing too major So targetgo get a possession as we see Bsley Gary Jr celebrates Sabri immediately double teamed Jansen tries the three-pointer can’t nail it Here’s Brit It’s a classic Taylor Brit there isn’t it as we see McDonald Oh he’s got it going on again 25 for Sha McDonald Man it’s been unbelievable stuff from him tonight Sean McDonald I love the way off the dribble he’s got that hand shooting hand set straight away So you don’t have a chance to catch your breath on defense You’ve got to be up in his grill cuz that shot is flying Good possession for Canterbury as well Here’s Brett for three And another whistle Is it going to be Bowen heading to the line those boys aren’t sharing the pizza That’s a concern isn’t it there’s Bowen Oops And there’s a wobbly pass That was a good look and a good cut Walter Brown just didn’t have his hands ready to catch that pass Kerry Jr in this margin at 30 points Kerry Jr marked by Walder Brown Jansen and there’s a offensive foul against Jansen Bowen is amped up Great position on that charge again Just right in the way of Jansen drawing the offensive foul And just seems that everything is going in the favor of the Rams Kyle Bowen just the one point in the game It was a free throw course but he’s part of the team He’s an important part of the team Oh of course someone’s got to be there to stir the pot Exactly Might as well be him as we see McDonald giving it to Bowen Darling fortunate Canterbury to keep the ball there Brown for three Bowen with the offensive rebound No It’s gobbled up by Barsley in the end Now this is classic Matt Bsley territory here Full carry ball Yeah unfortunate there got the steal One of the defenders was able to get a hand on it and just create that turnover again against the Nuggets Rams with yet another chance here to extend the lead Brown for Canterbury That’s good stuff from Walder Brown Beautiful execution by Canterbury again who were nice and urgent on that defensive play Yeah and and that is the key word It’s urgency Even though they have a massive lead they’ve got a comfortable spot at the top of the ladder they continue to play with that urgency as you see there on the downhill drive from Walter Brown Great setup there from Bowen yet again They’re just firing on all cylinders and they are relentless Three-point play completed by Brown from the Chemist Warehouse Strike He has eight points as the Tall Blacks forward 33 points the margin This is the biggest lead of the ball game now Kerry Jr has two valuable points for Otago He has nine Here’s McDonald When’s he going to start sizzling again maybe right now He wasn’t far away was he no not at all He has not taken a bad shot yet All of them have looked great He’s n for 15 from the field Zach can’t grab that one 60% for Shawn McDonald That’s a very good percentage for a shooting guard Here’s Kerry Jr Here’s Isaac stealing it And Brown coming away with it Darling back to Isaac Well read by Sabri Little messy but still Canterbury have got the ball It seems every 50/50 ball ends up in the hands of Walter Brown Bowen Isaac rattled the rim but no good for Canterbury And here comes Kerry Jr Good defense by McDonald there Now Jansen and Sabri is fouled beyond the ark It’s going to be three shots for Jaylen Sabri This is the energy the Nuggets need again Walter Brown just a little too far into Sabre’s cylinder generating that foul So Sabria a chance for three from the strife Both teams not putting up prolific numbers in this third quarter Just five for the Nuggets 10 for the Rams Still a lot of time to play though Tough day for Jaylen Sabri Just five points for him He’s one for seven from the field in this game Targetago shooting percentage now 28% still well below what you expect to be but at least Sabri gets all three free throws from the chemist warehouse drop to just contribute that a little bit more to the BBNZ hoops and schools program Here’s Isaac Jr Don can’t nail that jump A good rebound by taken by Jensen the pass to Bsley Smiler almost lost it In fact he has lost it eventually Now McDonald great pass and it’s going to be Cater ball despite the protest there of Kerry Jr Yeah I mean it was very close but again I like that look up the court especially again you’ve got a nice cushion I like those high-risk passes Smith Milner just hands the ball on again and Darling putting up the three and that’s a great shot from Max Darling He’s got seven Yeah Max Darling we know he can shoot the three Shooting 31% so far this season And that’s his first three of the game after missing his first three attempts Jansen triple team there but still getting a basket Nice job Yeah I like that look from him early on in the game He was taking some pretty wild shots but I like that strong possession using his body well right over the top of the defense He’s got a double double now by the way 13 and 10 And there’s a little reach in there by Max Stoddard So it’s going to be Ka Isaac going to the line Here he is getting more free throws Of course his brother Tama is in the New Zealand under 19 team the Junior Tour Blacks making their way to Switzerland very soon for the World Cup Here is Stoddard giving it over to Caleb Smiler Freeman Wow Now brilliant stuff right there Excellent from Stoddard That’s commitment Absolutely right And to keep that ball alive for the Nuggets Got the easy two and another chance from the free throw line Great hustle play there from Freeman keeping that ball in play and might have been one of the only 50/50 balls that went in the favor of the Nuggets Stoddard for the three-point play and he completes it Nice job by Max Stoddard 23-year-old from Southland originally former Rams player played seven games last year for Canterbury He will have enjoyed that play against his former teammates Here is Taylor Britt That’s beautiful from Taylor Britt Nice finish Not much Pat Freeman could do there No Crafty stuff from Taylor Britt He’s got eight in the game Freeman Poor pass from Pep Freeman Easily picked off by Smith Milner Tenha Jr toast up here and there is a foul Going to be on Pat Freeman again It’s not this time Pat Freeman by the way folks fouled out in the rapid league game earlier on this evening which the Rams won 4236 Freeman though had a good game Yeah he had a great game and again that’s why he’s getting some big minutes now You see him hustling on that offensive possession again having to match up against the likes of Pinha Jr Not an easy matchup So no surprise he committed the foul there Penh Jr able to capitalize on those free throw attempts Canary’s free throw percentage not the best in this game 13 from 19 just on 64% Oh half court violation there by Kerry Jr And Rams applying just enough pressure to continue to generate these turnovers for the Nuggets And I love this intensity Not letting up one ounce in this game Yeah turnovers are actually 14 to 156 But just as I say that there’s the seventh turnover from Canterbury and Smiler Oh blocked by Darling Oh that would have been a frustration block by Max Darling You see the steal there This is going to look good on the replay Oh yeah Oh yeah Timed it perfectly Saw the setup Elevated smacked it right out Great play from Darling Oh steal Here comes Canterbury Taylor Brit again and he is going to go to the line to shoot two T Freeman giving up the foul The vast majority of the Nuggets turnovers tonight have been on super soft over-the-top passes against a team like the Rams They’re going to get picked off left right and center You need to make strong passes not those soft floaters over the top Yeah Timeout called here and it’s going to be 74- 42 to Canterbury have extended the lead by another six in this quarter Shan McDonald leading the way with 25 points The season’s high is 31 Can he get that well we’ll see I think Clinton hasn’t put his his number one rotations in the queue rack just yet though Kase has he even though the margin is really blowing out here he’s still rotating his main players around at the moment I mean I guess it’s in preparation for what’s to come You know you want to keep them sharp keep them going keep them fit getting those minutes on the legs And I think we might see a different lineup going into the fourth quarter Maybe to start the fourth quarter starters still be in but to finish the game I think we’ll see quite a different roster on the floor Targetago still battling away Taylor Brit’s going to the line here First time this evening from the chemist warehouse strike for Taylor Brit Storm of course getting 16 points per game this year at 46% gets 10 points in this game for those two free throws Bit of fullourt pressure coming too from Canterbury are playing hard They’re not letting up and I love it No mercy rules in the South ZL and why not it just be another confidence boost for an already confident team and Otago wouldn’t have expected it either come off the timeout Oh hang hang on we got to deal with Smith Milner blocking that one and a bit of fullourt pressure at the other end of the court There’s Smiler And that’s a good finish right there from Stoddard But just like that quick rebound outlet and the Rams are back the other way again Pedal to the metal Darling wide open Rattles it home again Just kind of brainless defense out there Knowing where the three-point shooters are is crucial Nuggets just not able to find the shooters tonight Darling hits double figures That’s the fourth player in the Canterbury lineup to get to double figures and we’re only a minute 40 left in the third Here’s Brit Brit again Look at Darling He’s in the same spot Oh again You know he can shoot it You’ve got to know where he is on the floor Darling able to knock down those three-pointers with ease It’s going to be Canterbury possession with 114 to play You have to wonder if the Nuggets coming into this game have a bit of that mentality of you know we’ve got no shot with where we’re at on the ladder How much effort are we going to put into this game you hope it’s 110% always no matter the situation But you can just kind of sense from the body language from this jump of this game It’s just not been very positive Junior misses the three but Bowen goes down and gets another foul out of the Otago lineup Bowen doing a great job getting those off ball fouls stirring the pot just enough to get himself at the line Bowen quiet game on the stat sheet for him That’s just a second point He’s only grabbed four rebounds as we mentioned earlier He’s part of the machine and a pretty vital and important part of it Here’s Caleb Smiler Last minute of quarter number three here Knocks over to Freeman Stoddard That’s Christian Martin for three Can’t nail it It’s a better look that time but Otago’s perimeter shooting two from 16 from beyond the ark in this game Canterbury meantime are 13 from 28 13-pointers in the game for Canterbury Could be one more here too Not this time Stoddard grabs the board Last 30 seconds of the third quarter That’s been taken away by Bowen Here comes McDonald Here’s Brit Darling for another three He’s short This time Bowen’s got the offensive rebound Still 11 seconds left in this quarter Nice composure show by the Rams there Now McDonald Darling Oh so close for what would have been a perfect end to the quarter for Canterbury But still it’s pretty healthy margin isn’t it 38 points Canterbury well and truly in control It is 84 to 46 Fourth quarter coming up shortly She doesn’t have to give away Heat Heat Well it’s 84 to 46 here in Deneden and Canterbury showing us again why they’re at the top of the table and they are racing towards victory here which will be their 10th in a row for the defending champions A comfortable lead over Otago who were really struggling offensively and they have right from the start of the game This is the biggest lead of the ball game as well as we get the fourth quarter underway And again no sign of Quinton Clinton the Cadbury coach using his bench players raffle league players He’s got the rotation still going and Pinhar Jr boy they’ve got some offensive threats from long range haven’t they Kase oh they have been on fire tonight And again like you said not taking the starters out of the game treating it like any other game no matter the deficit Great coaching call from the head coach Well six players now in the Canterbury lineup have got three-pointers and Taylor Britt is not one of them Here is Britt driving Nice finish from Taylor Britt Doesn’t need to shoot it from behind the arc if he can do that No you’re spot on there Freeman for Otago Giri Jr for three That’s off target And there’s Bowen tidying up And here comes Taylor Brit again Bowen Lovely pass into Walter Brown Fouled by Darcy Knox That was an excellent cut and great recognition by Bowen Walter Brown stood up for half a second made his defense relax and again just took off and cut to the basket Great basketball play Early timeout called by Mike Kelly Wants to talk things over again with his team Tough coaching gig for Mike Kelly at the moment you know he’s a fine basketball man wonderful player back in the day and you know he’s a former Australian National League basketball MVP great player back in the mid ’90s He’s been coaching at South Melbourne Taipe but he’s got his hands full here in this game Yeah And it’s so hard when you are such a great player and you know exactly what the players are going through mentally physically You know they’re going against a super physical welloiled Rams team and they have come out every quarter flat and they’re on their home court I know they’re bottom of the table but you can’t keep starting every single quarter like you’ve already lost the game Shout out to the fans though Despite the challenges for the team they are into it which is wonderful to see can’t help to get uh pumped up to the YMCA Exactly And of course it is inclusive round as well From yesterday until the 29th teams across the league are coming to get together to honor diversity community and the power of inclusion here in the cell’s NBL Third year of inclusive round which is super cool Here’s Walder Brown at the line And off he goes trying to get uh become the fifth player from Canterbury to hit double figures in this game He will if he nails this free throw from the chemist warehouse strike And there’s that fullourt pressure again Kase Yeah I love the unrelenting tenacity of this Rams team again showcasing why they’re number one Kerry Jr Jensen There’s Bowen with the steel Canterbury bench Love it Brit again And uh no call Exactly Brit can’t believe that Well you can’t really argue at this stage in the game Not worth it But any closer game you would definitely be arguing that goal Maybe his first three leaves it short It was He’s only put up two attempts in the game Now here’s Sabri That is a foul by Brown How many fouls is Brown on now three Just three Yeah Brit’s on three as well And for a tango Caleb Smile is on four Knox Sabri and Barsley are all on three each Have the Rams used any timeouts this game they used one in the first half Here’s Jansen I think here’s Oh almost been lost behind again Salvage by Knox Four on the shot clock for Kerry Jr Oh he nails that three Nice job But I love the close out there from Pinha Jr just sprinting out relentlessly That is something that has been the difference between the Nuggets and the Rams tonight Brown wide open He can drop three-pointers as well but not that time Here’s Varsi Knox for Otago Kiri Jr and Brit Yes Tangled up like a a shoelace She just can’t get the knot out And a great shot there by Don Kerry Jr Way to collect that pass Get the defense running past him Almost stolen by Bowen again And there’s a half court violation is pressured just enough to earn another turnover And look at the the the fierceness the competitiveness They’re winning by a landslide and yet they’re still pumping each other up This is a true team in its purest form Oh look at Bowen He looks like a tradey doesn’t he you know you see you want to see him on a building side And I tell you what if he’s on the building side Case things are going to get done Oh absolutely right Now here’s Isaac Bowen Nice kick out pass Lovely rotation again isn’t it and it gets Sabri as Brown really clocks one And hey just call it folks There was a significant elbow from Sabri on that play Mike Kelly out there to just cool things and uh hopefully Walder Brown is uh just get his composure back Interesting to see what the officials do to un unpack this one K Yeah Curious if they even waste any time giving out any fouls or they just play on But keeping on theme with treating it like any other game no matter the score you probably want to see something cold Let’s just have a look and see what’s uh going to happen here Wow Getting a few things clarified here So Sabri So the foul is going to go against Walter Brown it seems So technical foul it appears to be Here is Kerry Jr The details on that in just a moment Freeman Eight on the shot clock for Otago And it’s been turned over again by Canterbury And we got Max Stling Fancy little reverse layer Love that from the big man Great job running the floor Good recognition from Taylor Brit to get that steal Find the big man and get the easy two So what happened on that previous play there was a technical foul given on the Canterbury bench I’m assuming for being upset that there was no foul for the elbow from Sabri on Walder Brown That is pretty fancy from Christian Martin Shame that didn’t fall Here comes Britain in hard junior It was a technical on the play Certainly was Yeah Now there’s a three from Kaio Isaac He let Sabrine know on that one as well Come back for a bit more too isn’t he kai Isaac Nice job from him But again the closeouts from the Nuggets on D just not getting out to shooters quick enough Third three of the game for Ky Isaac Nice pass into Sabri The whistle came earlier now Darling having plenty to say I guess getting a little heated here in this game There’s no point You’re up by 46 from either team Down by 46 up by 46 either way No need to keep chipping That’s what Bowen is trying to just remind his teammates Jay and Sabri going to the line after being fouled This is the second as well He’s five from 10 McDonald over to Isaac Fin Jr for three Can’t nail that one And there’s the rebound for Jansen Rebound number 12 for him He is the leading rebounder in the game and more stuff going down that Sabre’s involved with Yep I mean he’s at the point where he’s you’re down significantly You got to take the pedal to the metal and unfortunately for him he got the offensive foul Good position there from the Rams And I think Mike Kelly has decided that enough is enough and I’m going to pull Sabri off which is exactly what’s happened So Sabri’s going to sit down with eight points for the meantime So here comes McDonald 25 points in the game for him 20 of them in the first quarter Beautiful finish Great job switching it the last minute to the left hand Just a class act McDonald 27 points for him Here is Martin Freeman for Otago Christian Martin again Nice pass Smiler for three Rebound by Smith Milner Smith Milner just to five points and six rebounds He’s just quietly going about his work And there’s another foul conceded this time by Christian Martin So Breeze actually failed out of the game with eight points So we should just clarify that too That’s just come through So there’ll be no more fireworks from him in this game coming into that game averaging 15 points for the Nuggets He’s had a tough night as all the Otago players have had Kiri Jr gets the rebound Four minutes to play There’s a foul by Manam Martin Good to see him out there The 17year-old for his seventh game of the season He played really well in the rapid league game early this evening the Sky Broadband Rapid League game with 20 points Yeah he had a massive rapid league game Glad to see him out there earning some stripes Put a targetgo in the bonus with that fouled by Martin Yeah Mana Martin has been averaging three minutes a game in his six games Young player though who’s full of promise just 17 Junior with 14 now as he succeeds with two from the chemist warehouse strike Here’s Martin again See how keen he is to get his first points Stoddard with the rebound for the Nuggets Rattles in a three is Don Kerry Jr That’s his second three of the game Yeah great recognition there from Don Kerry Jr had the youngster on him Why not do a little pull up taffy Kate out there too now Oh lovely pass into Max Darling And that’s a counter for Darling and a a nice little assist there for the 15year-old Taffy Kate Now Darling wanted him to shoot that ball You’ll see it after the play but a nice back door recognition there from the youngster Great look Good finish from Max Darling He’s come alive here late in the third and fourth quarter He has six players in double figures now for the Canterbury Rams and another excellent all round team performance Six of their players have got three-pointers as well and a beautiful all round performance right from the start Here’s Stoddard losing possession Pinhaar Jr good pass down a manamatan There’s Kate again Oh that would have been cool if that had dropped Not to be though Well picked up beautifully there by Cooper and it’s put in by Tony Worththington So a few bench players out there now for Canterbury You love it when the bench can come in and just pick up right where the starters left off again keeping the possession alive there and a nice little dish underneath Too easy for the Canterbury Rams Very nice combination there between Worththington and Cooper as we see another timeout call So Otago still have games to play out in this cell’s MBL Each team plays 20 games in the regular season Can they find one more win in them they’ve only won twice this season Of course they could do it but it’s a tough ass given what they’re producing in this game this evening Next game is in eight days against the Toadamai here in Deneden again So long that’s a long time to lick your wounds isn’t it a very long time Canterbury’s next game is against Manawa 2 in Paliston North in 3 days time Nice finish there from Christian Martin Martin now has four points in the game Can’t we still have possession here uh oh Much to the annoyance there of a couple of Otago players Yeah it was untouched by anyone unfortunately A lot of bonus play here for the Rams Here’s Martin Oh he is a silky player I’m really looking forward to seeing his development in the next few years Yeah that was an excellent step through there Smiler gives it to Martin but not the Martin that he was hoping for Oh speaking of Martin and somehow it’s found its way into the hands of Brody Cooper He gets onto the score sheet Brody Cooper actually that is his first points in his MBL career and his very first game So well done to Brody Cooper That’s really cool And he gets a steal there for his team Now Martin it’s a back to Cooper Good pass and Penhard Jr That was a lovely finish to that fast break Yeah great basketball play Unselfishness of the Rams on display even deep in the bench And again defensively getting the stops Here’s Kate This score really blowing out to Canterbury Still a minute 17 to play Stoddard Another possession coming for Canterbury CJ Penhar Jr Yeah there goes two more He’s got 17 in the game Stoddard It’s a good flick over to Bumar He can’t nail the triple And I think that’s going to go against Max Stodd Tough day for Mike Kelly and the Otago Nuggets team right here It’s important they play out the game here though Try and finish with a bit of pride in their performance Martin misses the three Here comes Christian Martin He’s going to help himself to two more off that finger roll Yeah it’s a nice little move there from Christian Martin in the fast break That looks like that will be it here in Deneden It’s been far too good at the Canterbury Rams showing us why they’re the top team as they close out a hugely impressive and comprehensive win Final score here 113- 59 58 points to the Rams in the second half as they really strict away with the game Tough day for Mike Kelly the coach and all involved with the Otago Nuggets team Yeah I mean tough from the start Rams came out strong again putting up massive numbers with uh McDonald dropping 20 in that first half first quarter performance and he ends up the top scorer with 27 and you see Don Kerry Jr with 17 Pinhot Jr coming alive there in the second half as well as Max Darling 19 and 18 respectively Jansen again did as much as he could for his team 13 points for him Stodart Sabri with eight and Martin with six So again Kaia Isaac with 11 and Taylor Britt with 12 Jansen cleaning up the boards leading all rebounders with 12 He had such an outstanding performance for the Nuggets Walter Brown with eight Seemed like he got every 50/50 ball at one stage Stoddard with six Bowen with seven Smith Milner with six as well Barsley Sabri with three Max Darling with five And you see there Taylor Britt dishing the ball well We talked about him not letting it fly from deep but he was driving He was dishing He was doing it all for his team Smith Milner as well Four for him Three a piece for McDonald and Bowen And Sabri with two Again just the Rams sharing the ball extremely well finding shooters and just an all-around performance from them Walter Brown with two blocks Milner Smith Milner darling and Sabri with one apiece Yeah Chemist Warehouse stats all in favor Look at those steals to Jeff has 12 steals there Yeah I mean they just had an all-around game defensively They were locked in shifting well anticipating the passes every which way again capitalizing on those soft passes from the Nuggets 18 steals in all for Canterbury in the game Four just four for Otago But there’s still the vibe down in Denedan for sure despite that heavy defeat for the home team Let’s have a look at those games coming up for you Again reminding you that action is resuming in just under 24 hours from now on your Miki 2025 And there it is the game tomorrow the Hawks and the Sharks Two teams battling to make the top six It’s going to be a cracker from Napia The Bulls in the air is coming up on Saturday as well as the Saints in the fire Remember the Saints are already through to the top six They’re all locked in And the Turata host the Sharks on Sunday tipping off at 2:00 Well there we are Congratulations to the Canterbury Rams Far too good for Ota winning 113 to 59 We’re proud to be part of a league that celebrates difference and promotes unity That’s what inclusive round is all about Thank you for watching us this evening here on Sky Sport We’ll catch you for more cells in tomorrow Matea Heat Heat Here we go Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat
Watch the game between Otago Nuggets and Canterbury Rams in Round 14 of the 2025 Sal’s National Basketball League, held on Edgar Centre, Dunedin. #NZNBL #FIBA #SalsNBL
The National Basketball League (NBL) is the pre-eminent men’s basketball league in New Zealand. The inaugural NBL season took place in 1982 – known then as the Countrywide Basketball League. The start of the 2025 Sal’s NBL season will be on March 12 and the regular season will run through to July 20. ➡ https://nznbl.basketball/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NBL-Schedule.pdf
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00:00:00 Intro
01:09:40 1st quarter
01:30:00 2nd quarter
02:05:50 3rd quarter
02:29:44 4th quarter
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