That was five of their top eight players and they didn’t have the depth to cover their absence, especially in the forwards, as the Temara brothers, Daniels and McKinlay were all the Jets’ big men. McKinlay dislocated his knee and Shane Temara badly sprained his ankle in the first-round game against the Saints. Temara’s appendix later burst and he required two operations. He should be out of hospital in the next week. Coach Tim McTamney bemoaned the injury toll. “The schedule to start the season really hurt us. We came right and started playing very well. Then of course that Saints game – two major injuries in the first half and after that an injury every week from then.
Brendon Egan11:29, Jul 14 2021
Marty Melville/Photosport
Devondrick Walker and the Hawke’s Bay Hawks have found form at the right stage of the season.
OPINION: It’s the final round of the NBL season and the top four is confirmed. The exact finishing order and semifinal match-ups are still to be determined though, setting up an interesting final weekend. BRENDON EGAN looks at the key talking points for round 12.
Finals permutations The hometown Wellington Saints have top spot locked up for the Final Four in Porirua, which will be contested next Thursday and Friday. Southland and Hawke s Bay, who both have a 12-5 record, are likely to meet in one semifinal (two versus three), but it s not quite guaranteed. The fourth placed Auckland Huskies could still potentially jump up, but it would require several scenarios playing out. Auckland must beat the Saints on Saturday and hope both the Hawks and Sharks lose, forcing a three-way tie.
12:22, Jul 12 2021
PHOTOSPORT
Jayden Bezzant was in top scoring form against the Wellington Saints on Saturday. PHOTOSPORT
BASKETBALL: The Wellington Saints have already booked their ticket to the NBL final four, but they are now just one win away from locking in the top spot after scoring an impressive 103-80 win over the Manawatū Jets. The Jets showed some good signs early and really came out in an attacking frame of mind in the game at the Arena on Saturday night, but it didn t take long for the visiting Saints to find their groove, and their stroke from beyond the arc.
The Saints and Hawks will be particularly tough, but Manawatū have shown in their win over the Canterbury Rams last week and in parts of the loss to the Huskies, they haven’t given up yet. They could upset a couple of the teams they still have to play to give themselves more confidence after a tough season. Having made a slow start against the Huskies on Sunday, they roared back into the game, closing the gap to 37-35 at halftime and led 46-39 after the break. Both teams went on runs and it was level until midway through the fourth quarter. But the Jets missed a couple of shots at the end and let the Huskies get away on them.
It was hoped Shane Temara would return from his ankle injury soon and his presence would be a boost when the Jets host the Auckland Huskies on Sunday. While it still looks to be a rough road to finish the year, if they can reproduce the performance from the Rams game in their last four games of the season, they will be more than competitive. Guard Daishon Knight led the way in both games at the weekend, but he went big against the Rams with a triple double, scoring 30 points to go with 16 rebounds and 11 assists. Nikau McCullough put in his best performance, scoring a career-high 25 points, and DeAndre Daniels scored 22 points.