For the second year running, the NBS Nelson Giants won’t be featuring in the Sals NBL basketball finals.
The struggling side was reliant on other teams’ results going their way ahead of the final home game against the Tauranga Whai tonight.
Just one win separated the five sides vying for the sixth and final play-off spot going into the weekend.
The Manawatu Jets, which beat the Giants in double overtime earlier this month, kept their hopes alive with a resounding 122-76 thumping of the Franklin Bulls on Friday night.
While the eighth win of the season didn’t automatically ensure sixth place for the understrength Palmerston North outfit, it did end the Giants hopes as they only have six victories from 19 matches.
If the Whai beat the Giants, the Bay of Plenty side will then move ahead of the Jets on points differential and into the top six.
The season-ending match at the Trafalgar Centre starts at 7.30pm tonight.
Laat year the Giants recovered from losing their first eight games to win eight of their last 12 but finished ninth to just miss the post-season.
This year the team could only win consecutive games once and only managed two victories on the road.
Highlights were the two point win at home over the Wellington Saints and American point guard Shane Gatling amassing an NBL-season high 56 points against the Franklin Bulls earlier this month.
Low lights were the season’s lowest-equal score of 58 against the Whai in Tauranga last month and losing at home to the bottom-of-the table Hawke’s Bay Hawks.
The frustrations were the one-point loss to the Canterbury Rams in the season opener and the two point defeat in overtime to the Saints.
