KEY POINTS:
Waikato Pistons underlined their NBL favouritism by sweeping aside fellow title contenders Auckland Stars and Hawkes Bay during a weekend of double-headers.
Led by import duo Jason Crowe and Brian Wethers, the Pistons (6-0) backed up Thursday's win over Hawkes Bay (2-3) with an 88-67 win over the
Stars on Saturday night.
The Pistons raced to a 30-12 first-quarter lead and were never in danger.
An overtime win over Taranaki (4-4) in New Plymouth on Friday night meant the Stars (5-3) had something to take home from their two games.
Harbour Heat (4-3) also took a split from their two games, following Friday night's overtime loss to the Saints (5-3) in the capital with a 68-67 win over defending champions Nelson at the imposing Trafalgar Centre.
The Heat led for just four seconds of the match, with centre Tim Behrendorff hitting the go-ahead basket. Nelson had led by 67-57 with three minutes remaining but didn't score again, missing three shots and turning the ball over twice as the Heat stormed home.
Behrendorff scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Daryl Cartwright, Hayden Allen, Jarrod Kenny and Mika Vukona all scored in the 11-0 run to win the game.
It was the second straight fourth-quarter meltdown for the Giants, who gave up a 12-point lead over the Stars with eight minutes remaining in round five before eventually winning in overtime.
Basement side Otago (1-6) finally notched their first win, downing Manawatu 76-69 in Timaru.
A 25-14 final quarter ended the Nuggets' six-game losing streak but they still remain at the foot of table, below Canterbury Rams (1-5) on percentage.
American Lemar Gayle scored a game-high 25 points and 15 rebounds, while soon-to-depart compatriot Jay Anderson had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets.
The league table is now taking shape, with seven teams in contention for the six playoff spots. Manawatu (2-4), Otago and Canterbury appear to be making up the numbers, while last season's beaten finalists Hawkes Bay (2-3) have made a slow start and surprisingly sit seventh.
Waikato's dominance is unsurprising, with their two imports adding polish to a strong roster that includes Pero Cameron, Ben Hill, Puke Lendon and Mike Homik.
But they face another stern test when they travel to Nelson on Saturday and face the Saints in Wellington the following day. The round tips off when the Stars host the Rams on Thursday, with the Canterbury side then taking on the Heat on the North Shore on Friday night.