Basketball: Stars book place in finals with win over Waikato

Auckland cemented a place in the NBL finals with an 83-77 win over Waikato and Hawkes Bay edged towards a home semifinals spot when they beat Taranaki 88-83 last night.

The Wellington Saints, Hawks, Nelson Giants and Stars are the four playoff teams.

Finishing order and home court advantage is yet to be determined, with the Stars' game away at Nelson on Saturday having the biggest impact.

Lindsay Tait top-scored for the Stars at the ASB Stadium last night with 28. Team-mate Aaron Olson scored 22, as did Mike Chappell for the Titans.

A three-point blitz propelled Hawkes Bay to their victory over Taranaki in Napier.

Australian Gary Boodnikoff, compatriot Scott McGregor and Tall Black Paora Winitana were all on target from the arc in the final minutes.

Boodnikoff's fourth and last three-pointer of the match gave the home side a four-point lead with 90 seconds left on the clock.

He then hauled down a defensive rebound to hand Hawkes Bay possession from which Adrian Majstrovich scored to open a game-breaking six-point gap.

New import McGregor again showed he is a valuable acquisition with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Majstrovich, 15 points and 16 rebounds, Winitana, 17 and six, Boodnikoff, 15 and six, and Daryl Cartright, 14 and seven, all contributed significantly to a fine team effort.

There were hiccups, with Hawkes Bay struggling to score in the second quarter after a controlled start and having a period of wayward passing and turnovers in the third quarter.

But the home team maintained composure after losing skipper and Tall Blacks point guard Paul Henare with a knee injury near the end of the third quarter.

- NZPA