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Wellington Saints' swingman Reuben Te Rangi tries to get by Canterbury Rams defender Tony Tolovae on his way to the basket.
The Wellington Saints' unbeaten record remains intact, but not without a mighty scare.
Wellington improved their National Basketball League record to 15-0 after a thrilling 84-80 victory over the Canterbury Rams in the capital on Sunday night.
Canterbury, missing injured duo, American import Isaiah Wilkins and sharpshooter Luke Aston, looked set to cause a boilover in the closing stages.
A driving layup from Australian point guard Emmettt Naar gave the Rams a 80-79 lead with 36 seconds left.
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Tom Abercrombie of the Saints wears a rainbow uniform to raise funds and awareness for Rainbow Youth during their NBL game against the Canterbury Rams.
Tall Blacks and New Zealand Breakers star Tom Abercrombie was influential in turning the game the Saints' way.
Abercrombie knocked down a jump shot to put the Saints ahead again. He then pulled off an impressive block to deny Rams centre Mike Karena at the other end of the court.
He finished with a game-high 22 points on 10-14 shooting in his best outing since joining the Saints mid-season.
Wellington faced a tough weekend assignment, taking on their nearest rivals, the Rams and the Hawke's Bay Hawks, who were both on eight-game winning runs.
The Saints are bidding to repeat the deeds of their team from 2017, who became the first NBL side to go through a season unbeaten, winning all 20 games.
Their remaining round games are against the lowly Jets and Rangers with a return match with the Rams in Christchurch on July 5, before the Final Four.
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Wellington Saints' swingman Tom Abercrombie tries to get a shot off against strong Canterbury Rams defence.
The Saints had it much easier the previous evening against the Hawks in Napier, banking a comfortable 99-74 win.
Wellington had been in control, up 49-40 at halftime and 71-62 after three quarters.
Despite holding a comfortable lead, the Saints refused to let up in the final quarter. They put their foot down, winning the term 28-12 to add to the Hawks' misery.
Saints centre Rob Loe took advantage of Australian import Daniel Kickert's absence for the Hawks, posting a player of the match worthy 26 points and nine rebounds.
Coach Paul Henare would have been thrilled with the Saints' defensive intensity, limiting the previously red-hot Hawks to a paltry 74 points on 40 per cent shooting. The Hawks, who have been such a dangerous three point shooting side in 2019, hit just seven of their 30 attempts (23 per cent).
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Wellington Saint Leon Henry shoots over Canterbury Rams' defender Alex Talma in their NBL clash on Sunday.
Aside from American forward EJ Singler, who impressed with 25 points on 10-16 shooting, to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists, there wasn't much to squawk about for the Hawks.
The Saints hammered the Hawks 55-37 in the rebounding battle with Loe and Abercrombie grabbing 21 boards between them.
Hawke's Bay committed a concerning 17 turnovers, which the Saints were able to score 16 points from. Not much went right for the Hawks, who have plenty to stew over ahead of the Final Four in Christchurch over July 20-21.
The defending champion Southland Sharks made it four wins on the bounce and all but punched their ticket to the finals.
Southland thumped the Taranaki Mountain Airs 118-74 on the second game of their South Island road doubleheader, having also been blown out by the Rams 89-67 on Friday.
Jeff Green's Supercity Rangers earned just their third win of the season, overcoming the Manawatū Jets 110-93 in Auckland on Thursday in a bottom of the table clash.
The Rangers received strong outings from imports Venky Jois and Nnanna Egwu, who both poured in 30 points. Egwu was lethal from three point range, draining eight of his 15 attempts.
Tall Blacks veteran Mika Vukona contributed 19 points on 8-9 shooting on Sunday as the Nelson Giants edged the Jets 98-92 in Palmerston North.
AT A GLANCE:
Supercity Rangers 110 (Venky Jois 30, Nnanna Egwu 30, Tim Quarterman 21) Manawatū Jets 93 (Wally Ellenson 43, Daishon Knight 23, Shane Temara 10)
Canterbury Rams 89 (Mike Karena 18, Jonathan Janssen 14, Alex Talma 13, Cam Gliddon 11, Sam Smith 11) Taranaki Mountain Airs 67(Mitchell Dance 16, Chris Early 10)
Southland Sharks 118 (Jarrad Weeks 22, Todd Blanchfield 19, Alex Pledger 18, Tom Vodanovich 12, Brandon Lucas 12, Dom Kelman-Poto 10) Taranaki Mountain Airs 74 (Derone Raukawa 23, Alonzo Burton 17)
Wellington Saints 99 (Rob Loe 26, Tom Abercrombie 17, Nick Kay 16, Shea Ili 13, Jordan Ngatai 13) Hawke's Bay Hawks 74 (EJ Singler 25, Brandon Bowman 14, Jarrod Kenny 10)
Nelson Giants 98 (Mika Vukona 19, Daniel Grida 18, Tyrell Harrison 18, Rhys Vague 18, Jordair Jett 13) Manawatū Jets 92 (Knight 35, Ellenson 27, Taane Samuels 11)
Wellington Saints 84 (Abercrombie 22, Kay 14, Ili 13, Reuben Te Rangi 12) Canterbury Rams 80 (Karena 20, Emmett Naar 16, Gliddon 15, Talma 13)
Standings: Saints 15-0, Hawks 11-3, Rams 11-3, Sharks 9-5, Huskies 6-8, Giants 6-9, Rangers 3-12, Jets 2-12, Airs 2-13
