Wellington Saints will take on Bay Hawks in the NBL New Zealand on July 14.
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Wellington Saints will take on Bay Hawks in the NBL New Zealand on July 14. In the National Basketball League playoff race, the Wellington Saints are still alive. The 12-time champs delivered when it mattered, defeating the Otago Nuggets 100-88 in the nation’s capital on Sunday with their season essentially on the line. The reigning champions’ 2022 season has been terrible by their own high standards, but despite a 5-8 record with five rounds remaining, they are still in the running. Xavier Cooks, an Australian standout for the Saints, had the best all-around performance of the year with 26 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, five steals, and three blocks. Cooks’ performance was astounding, and the Saints needed it following last Sunday’s defeat by Taranaki at home.
Reggie Upshaw, a new American forward for the Saints, had a productive debut, scoring 19 points and grabbing six rebounds in 25 minutes. Upshaw last competed professionally in Germany after attending Middle Tennessee State for his collegiate career. The Saints are still in a precarious situation. They face Hawke’s Bay twice in a row before playing the Manawatu Jets and the top two NBL squads, the Auckland Tuatara and Nelson Giants, to finish. To escape the disgrace of missing the finals for the first time since 2007, they will likely need to win four out of five games.
Read more: Manawatu Jets vs Franklin Bulls Preview
With the help of center Mike Karena’s 31 points and 12 rebounds, the Canterbury Rams defeated the Tuatara 92-84 on Sunday night in Auckland, pulling off the round’s biggest shock. Imports For the Rams, who improve to 7-7 and remain in the playoff hunt, Sunday Dech (17 points, eight rebounds, four assists), and Matthew Moyer (15 points, 11 rebounds) also had a significant impact. Nelson defeated the last-placed Southland Sharks 89-81 in Nelson, bouncing back from a lacklustre home loss to Taranaki the previous Saturday.
The NBL match Wellington Saints vs Bay Hawks will be held at TSB Arena on July 14, 7:30 PM (New Zealand) and 1:00 PM IST. Fans can live stream the match on ESPN or Sky Sport and Indians can log in to Fancode.com.
Wellington Saints: R. Dougall, J. Fui, T. Gold, J. Heul, K. Hippolite
Bay Hawks: B. Adamson, D. Albertsen, Q. Bailey, E. Bartlett, C. Bush
