SIT Zerofees Sharks (2-2) Go Media Jets (0-2) When: Thursday, May 10, 7pm (Live Streamed) Where: ILT Stadium, Invercargill Referees: Melony Wealleans, Yalla Edwards, Marty Davison Notes: The Sharks play their first home game of the season after going 2-2 on the road. This will be the Jets first game away, and will have a day break before travelling to the other end of the country to play the Rangers. Offensively the Jets have struggled in their first two games, averaging 71.5 points per game, shooting 33% from the field. Southland have dominat-ed the match ups between the two, winning nine of 11 meetings. The only time the Jets have beaten the Sharks in Inver-cargill was in 2012, 111-68. Last season the Sharks only lost once at home, and in the last three seasons are 22-5. Match up of the game will be between the point guards Jarrad Weeks and Daishon Knight, both players lead the team in scoring, each averaging nearly 21 points per game.
Cigna Saints (1-1) v Taylor Hawks (3-0) When: Friday, May 11, 7pm (Live Stream) Where: TSB Bank Arena, Wellington Referees: Matt Bathurst, Hayden Pipe, Tayla Ammunson Notes: The Saints got their first win of the season last week, but will have the stern challenge of hosting the currently unbeaten Taylor Hawks. The Hawks will be playing their third straight game on the road, they edged out the Airs by three last week. Former Saint, Dion Prewster, has had an impressive start to the season, leading the Hawks in scoring at 18.3 points per game on 76.3% shooting. Prewster will go head to head with Saints import LJ Peak, who is averaging 21.5 points, despite being plagued with foul trouble, he fouled out on debut and had four last week against the Rangers. The Saints are averaging 108 points per game, but are also allowing their opponents to score 102 points, shooting 56% from the field. The Hawks have been much better defensively, allowing opponents to score 82 points at 43% overall, and 27% from three. Wellington has won the last seven games between the two teams. The last time the Hawks have won at TSB Bank Arena was in 2011, 100-99, Jarrod Kenny was the lone member in that side. Kenny will have to try an contain his Tall Black teammate, Shea Ili, who is averaging 29 points and 8.5 assists per game.
Augusta Mountainairs (1-1) v Mike Pero Nelson Giants (2-0) When: Friday, May 11, 7pm Where: TSB Stadium, New Plymouth Referees: Sean Cronin, Gavin Zimmerman, Sam Pan Notes: The Airs had a tight loss against the unbeaten Hawks, now they will face another unbeaten team in the Giants, who play their first game on the road. The teams are polar opposite in styles of play, the Airs more of a slower tempo with their games averaging 171 points, compared to the Giants games which are averaging 194 points per game. The Giants lead the league in scoring at 110 points. Match up of the game will be between athletic forwards Finn Delany and Javonte Douglas. Douglas leads the league in scoring (29 ppg) and rebounds (12.5), he is also grabbing 7.5 offensive rebounds per game, so the Giants will need to keep him off the glass. Delany is averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game. Nelson have won 11 of the past 13 meetings between the two teams. Since 2012, Taranaki, has only defeated the Gi-ants once at home which was on the 27th March 2016, 75-74.
2 Cheap Cars Supercity Rangers (0-3) v Go Media Jets (0-2) When: Saturday, May 12, 5pm (Live Streamed) Where: Trusts Arena, Auckland Referees: Ryan Jones, Gavin Zimmerman, Tayla Ammunson Notes: Both teams will be desperate for a win, but the Rangers will have the advantage of a Jets side on the second game in three days, and travelling from Invercargill. In the last six meetings between the two teams, Manawatu have won four. The Jets are relying heavily on point guard, Daishon Scott, who is averaging 20.5 points, the next best is fellow import, Kuran Iverson who is the only other Jet to average over double-digits at 13.5 per game. Iverson has struggled from the field, in particular the three pointer, converting only 1/11 attempts. Iverson has also struggled to get consistent minutes, averaging only 17.7, which is probably due to foul trouble. After averaging nearly 20 points per game in his first two out-ings, Rangers shooting guard Clay Wilson was quiet in the loss against the Saints with only 10 points on 4/9 shooting.
Taylor Hawks (3-0) v Mike Pero Nelson Giants (2-0) When: Saturday, May 12, 7pm (Live Streamed) Where: Pettigrew Green Arena, Napier Referees: Dallas Pickering, Matt Bathurst, Duran Whiu Notes: The two most improved teams of the season will be facing each other in what could be who remains unbeaten if they each win the games before. Last season both teams finished with a 4-14 record which potentially one team could al-ready tie at the end of three rounds. The Hawks beat the Giants two out of three times last season, but the Giants had previously won the last five. Hawks leading scorer Dion Prewster will face his former team of last year for the first time. Prewster’s average points per game is currently at 18.3 which five points more per game than what he averaged with the Giants. Prewster will face Damon Heuir who currently fourth in the league ins scoring at 24.5 per game. Another former Giant, Jarrod Kenny, will go head to head with last week’s player of the week Kyle Adam, who had a career best 32 points. Adnam currently leads the league in assists at 8.5 per game, Kenny last season won the assist title at 7.5 per game.
Augusta Mountainairs (1-1) v 2 Cheap Cars Supercity Rangers (0-3) When: Sunday, May 13, 3pm (Live Streamed) Where: TSB Stadium, New Plymouth Referees: Melony Wealleans, Ryan Jones, Yalla Edwards Notes: Taranaki will be playing their third straight game at home, and will play the following week at home before embarking on a tough schedule which sees them play six of their next seven on the road. The Rangers are on a second day of a back to back, having played at home to the Jets the late afternoon before. The Rangers won all three games against the Airs last season, two of which was at TSB Stadium. In the last meeting the Rangers blew out the Airs 106-83, but in that contest they got a combined 53 points from Mitch McCarron and Earnest Ross who are no longer on their roster. The Rangers will be at a size disadvantage against the Airs who have an all import front court Javonte Douglas, Xavier Smith and Roger Woods who averaged a combined 29.5 rebounds per game. The Rangers will have to play at a more faster tempo with the three guard line-up of Lindsay Tait, Clay Wilson and Junior Ale.