KEY POINTS:
Harbour Heat 82
Auckland Stars 80
Harbour Heat underlined their NBL title credentials and dealt the Auckland Stars a potentially fatal blow with a gutsy victory at ASB Stadium last night.
A long delay caused by a broken shot clock with the scores locked with two minutes and seven seconds remaining meant both sides had plenty of time to ponder their immediate and long-term futures. In the end it was the Heat who held their nerve from three Brent Charleton free throws to claim the spoils and maintain their spot on top of the ladder.
Lindsay Tait had a chance to send the game into overtime on the buzzer but his pull-up shot bounced off the rim and with it likely went his side's playoff chances.
Heat coach John Dorge refused to get carried away despite a result that all but assured his side a home semi-final.
"I'm not going to sit here and say it has enhanced [our chances] or anything like that. We've got two games to play and we are going to focus on that."
Those two games are against perennial heavyweights Wellington and Hawkes Bay, a run Dorge believes will set his side up nicely for the playoffs.
Casey Frank and Tait were superb for the Stars, combining for 51 points but in the end it was Charleton's shooting that proved the difference. His 28 points included four from eight from beyond the arc.
The Stars led 22-16 at quarter-time but were struggling to deal with Darryl Cartwright's ability to get inside and draw the foul and the Heat steadily pegged back the deficit.
Hayden Allen nailed a three pointer mid-way through the second quarter to put the Heat in front for the first time and they maintained the advantage to lead 47-46 at the break.
Tensions simmered in the second half when Josh Clark and Allen got into a scuffle before the Stars lost their rag when Nat Connell appeared to get away with an elbow on Dillon Boucher. Boucher's objections earned him a technical to go with original foul. Frank also picked up a technical for his contribution to the debate and Allen made the Stars pay, slotting all four free throws.
Cartwright then scored from the resulting possession to make it a six-point swing that took the Heat's lead to a game-high eight points, which they maintained until three-quarter time.
That lead was gone inside three minutes thanks to Valence Te Ratana's three-pointer and two huge Frank dunks.
But when Dillon Boucher fouled out with five minutes remaining the momentum swung again and it was the Heat who made the crucial plays down the stretch.
