Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Giants hand Hawks second loss

Updated at 6:32 am on 5 May 2012

The Nelson Giants and the Manawatu Jets have got their National Basketball League seasons back on track with home wins while the Auckland Pirates posted their seventh victory in a row in Invercargill on Friday night.

Phill Jones led the Giants with 25 points, as they held off the Hawks 90-87 at the Trafalgar Centre.

The loss puts the Bay at 10 wins and two losses, who are now in a fight with the Pirates for top spot. The Aucklanders got win number nine with a 106-87 win over the Southland Sharks at Southland Stadium velodrome.

Breakers stars Alex Pledger and Dillon Boucher both suited up for the Pirates, Pledger scoring 14 in 14 minutes, while Boucher had eight assists and five rebounds in nearly identical minutes.

The Jets bounced back from a tough loss on the North Shore with a crucial 102-85 road win over Taranaki.

The Mountain Airs had no answer for Jets forward Marcel Jones, who had a player of the week performance of 33 points and 15 rebounds.

The loss put Taranaki's record at 7-7.

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