Giants, Hawks On The Move
Tagged in: Competitions, NBL
A shooting-the-lights-out night from Tall Black Phill Jones spurred the CPS Nelson Giants to a 105-91 road win over the Youthtown Auckland Stars in round 11 of the Dominion Finance NBL on Thursday night.
Jones had 21 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 33 points as the Giants started their City of Sails double-header with a comfortable 14-point win at ASB Stadium, joining the Century City Wellington Saints at 8-4.
The Reefton Kid lit up the Stars (6-6) early on, with 14 points, including two three-pointers in the opening period, and another seven in the first three minutes of the second quarter as the Giants cracked open a 35-20 lead.
Jones shot 13-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-6 from distance, and 4-of-5 from the foul-line, adding five rebounds, three assists and four steals to his impressive stat-line.
Centre Michael Harrison had a big night with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals, while new recruit, former Tall Black Christopher Reay, put up 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, just a day after arriving in New Zealand from Texas.
Auckland, who played without injured forward Adrian Majstrovich, put together an 11-0 run to get within five points late in the second quarter, but a late Giants surge saw a 12-point gap at halftime.
The Stars fell behind early on the back of poor shooting, shooting 34 percent from the field and 13 percent on three-point attempts in the first half. Their percentages improved in the second half, including seven three-pointers in the final period, but still could not compare to Nelson’s scorching 61.5 percent from the floor.
Casey Frank posted another double-double, leading the Stars with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while American guard George Baker had 23 points, which included 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, six assists and three steals. Dillon Boucher posted seven points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals.
In New Plymouth, the Easy LPG Bay Hawks moved to fourth in the standings with an 88-67 win over Devon Dynamos Taranaki.
The Hawks took advantage of a sluggish Taranaki side, who had not played since April 18, making a break as part of a 32-20 second period, taking a 55-41 halftime lead in a game featuring 43 combined fouls.
Hawks import forward Kevin Smith led the way with 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds, while Paora Winitana dropped 18 points, and American centre Kareem Johnson posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Import guard Keith Salscheider had a game-high 24 points for the Dynamos, while forward Link Abrams added 11 points and nine rebounds, Ben Jeffrey 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, and centre Tony Rampton was limited to seven points.
With the win, the Hawks improved to 7-4, jumping over the Appliance Shed Harbour Heat, while dropping the Dynamos to 5-6.
Dominion Finance NBL Round 11
At ASB Stadium, Auckland
CPS Nelson Giants 105 (Phill Jones 33, Michael Harrison 18, Christopher Reay 15, Chris Daniel 12, Michael Fitchett 10) Youthtown Auckland Stars 91 (Casey Frank 25, George Baker 23, Josh Clark 11, Reece Cassidy 10). HT: 48-36
Stars vs Giants Box Score (21KB html)
At TSB Stadium, New Plymouth
Easy LPG Bay Hawks 88 (Kevin Smith 28, Paora Winitana 18, Kareem Johnson 14) Devon Dynamos Taranaki 67 (Keith Salscheider 24, Ben Jeffrey 12, Link Abrams 11). HT: 55-41
Dynamos vs Hawks Box Score (21KB html)
