Giants fall just short in thriller

It goes down as a loss, but the Nelson Giants can take many positives from pushing the Canterbury Rams all the way in their National Basketball League opener.

The sold-out Trafalgar Centre crowd held its breath on Sunday as Kruz Perrott-Hunt’s three-point, match-winning attempt arced towards the basket with three seconds remaining.

There was a collective groan as the ball hit the rim, and captain Sam Dempster could not quite force in the rebound, leaving the Rams to cling on 86-85.

It was a thrilling end to a game that had the Hangar rocking, and showed the Giants could foot it with their bigger budget, more fancied rivals who had two American imports and three Tall Blacks in their starting five.

That pedigree showed in the second quarter as the Rams – champions in 2023 and 2024 and semi-finalists last year – sank a string of three-pointers and tightened their defence to open a 10-point lead.

But the Giants, with new signings Perrott-Hunt and Tohi Smith-Milner making impressive contributions and Liam Judd reprising his fine form from last season, stuck around and then pushed back.

When Canterbury’s top scorer Taylor Britt missed two free-throws with just over six seconds left, it set up the final Giants play that went so close to sealing a perfect start.

Giants coach Mike Fitchett felt the frustration, but there was also pride in the fightback. “We’ve got a group that give it their all,” he said.

Nelson went into the season opener without an import, which may have made the difference in a game of such fine margins.

But Fitchett confirmed that an international player had now been signed and would be ready for the Anzac Day match in Nelson against the defending champions Wellington Saints.

In the meantime, the Giants have a quick turnaround, heading south to take on the Otago Nuggets in Dunedin on Wednesday.

“It would have been nice (to get the win), but the good thing is we play on Wednesday and you can’t wallow,” Fitchett said. “It’s a long season.”

By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail