Basketball: High-scorers call the shots

By PETER JESSUP

Round one of the national basketball league produced no surprises, simply underlining the proviso that depth will be the undoubted decider once injuries come into play mid-season.

Nelson and the Palmerston Jets' score sheets stood out for the considerable contribution from a small number of players.

The Giants relied on a game-high 27 points from new import James Hamilton, along with 21 from Phill Jones, 20 from Tony Rampton and 16 from player-coach Nenad Vucinic to beat Waikato 111-95.

Warriors coach Jeff Green said the side was rusty and would only get better. The team improved in their second game on Saturday, downing Canterbury 111-100.

The Jets showed they'll score plenty this season as Tyrone Brown (25), Kent Mori (24), and Ed Book (19) carried them to a close win over the visiting North Harbour Kings. The Kings' new import, Purnell Perry, scored 46 in Palmerston North then contributed 37 on Saturday as Wellington visited the North Shore Events Centre.

Auckland loped to a 98-93 win over Otago in Dunedin.

Auckland host the Rams at Unitec in their first home game next Friday night, the Jets go to Hamilton on Saturday and Hawkes Bay to North Shore on Sunday.