Fighting for place on and off court
The Otago Nuggets are battling.
And not all of those battles are on the court.
Tonight's fixture against the Tauranga Whai is their last home game of the season.
Let's hope it is not their last home game for a much longer period.
The Nuggets have been on notice since their owner signalled its intention to pull out at the end of the National Basketball League campaign.
Despite an optimistic press release from the NBL earlier this month hailing a new era of ownership for the Nuggets, their return next season is far from a done deal.
The Otago Daily Times understands there is still a lot of work to be done to keep the playing licence in Dunedin.
There are some very passionate people behind the bid, but there are no guarantees they will be able to pull it off.
The Nuggets (2-15) face a huge challenge on the court as well.
They were steamrolled by the Canterbury Rams in their last outing.
The 113-59 loss was the heaviest loss in their history. It eclipsed the 47-point drubbing they suffered at the hands of the Southland Sharks in 2013.
They are also 13 games into a losing streak. The club famously lost 33 in a row between 2008 and 2011.
The 59 points they mustered against the Rams was among the most unproductive nights on offence in their history as well.
The 54 they scored against Auckland in 2006 and the Nelson Giants in 2003 remains their lowest score.
The Nuggets have really battled on defence this year. That improved when they cut import Jose Perez.
But what they gained at one end, they lost at the other. He was good for 20 points most nights.
Jonathan Janssen has stepped up on offence in the absence of Perez.
Don Carey jun is capable of some big scoring nights but he has been inconsistent in the Nuggets singlet, while fellow American Jaylen Sebree has not made the impact the club would have expected.
The Whai (7-10) are in a tense struggle to make the final six. They have dropped their past three games, which has not helped.
The 103-77 loss to the Saints on Saturday was a painful experience, so they will be eager to bounce back.
Dunedin-born Mojave King, son of Nuggets great Leonard King, shapes as a major scoring threat and the Whai also lean on Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Anzac Rissetto.
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