Giants aiming to get on a roll after deflating Airs

Of all the statistics in the Nelson Giants 107-91 win over the Taranaki Airs, one of the most telling was that it marked the first time in almost four years they have not had a losing record.

The victory at the Trafalgar Centre on Saturday meant the Giants went to 2-2 for the season, the first time they have been at the .500 mark since August, 2022.

In the last three seasons the Giants have started 0-8, 0-4 and 0-3 and have never recovered enough to make .500.

Coach Mike Fitchett said the poor starts had made it tough to play catch-up so it was a big boost to put the two opening round losses behind them with consecutive wins at home.

“We are trending in the right direction, so hopefully we can keep it going,” he said.

They face a tough double-header in Auckland this weekend, taking on the Franklin Bulls on Friday night and the Auckland Tuatara on Sunday afternoon.

But they will head north with a spring in their steps following a performance against Taranaki that had many positives.

The brightest was the player-of-the-game display from new Finnish import Eemi Luukkonen in only his second game. He recorded a strong double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, with 89% shooting from the floor.

He helped spark the Giants to life in the last few minutes of the second quarter when the home team went from a one-point lead to a 15-point cushion at the break.

Nelson blew the game wide open in the third quarter with a three-point barrage from Luukkonen, captain Sam Dempster, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Liam Judd, who continued his hot shooting from the win against the Wellington Saints. He again top-scored for the Giants with 26 points, including 54% from three-point range.

In the blink-of-an-eye the Giants scored 24 unanswered points and built a 39-point lead.

The only blot on the night was in the fourth quarter when the big lead may have dulled the Giants’ edge, particularly on defence, and Taranaki imports Xavier Green and Aaron Cook Jr started scoring at will.

At one stage they trimmed the deficit to nine points, but it was ultimately too late for the visitors.

Fitchett said Luukkonen had performed the basics well on offence and defence, and they hoped to encourage his three-point shooting.

“If we can have five guys on the court that can shoot, that’s a big advantage.

“We have banked this year on being a really good three-point shooting team and in the third quarter it really came through for us. We kind of got the offence humming and when that happens it’s pretty cool to be a part of.”

Dempster said when the Giants played good defence it flowed into an easy offence, leading to better shots.

“In the fourth quarter we got complacent on defence and we let the Americans have a bit of space to attack us.”

But he said the younger Giants got valuable minutes in the final quarter, as well as a valuable lesson that no lead is big enough.

Dempster said Luukkonen had slotted in well. “He found his feet and it looked like he was having fun. He’s a great guy and he works hard for the team and he was fantastic tonight.

“The pieces are coming together nicely, and hopefully we can get on the road now and keep building.”

By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail