Game Preview: Sharks v Whai

Game Preview: SBS Southland Sharks (1-2) v The Northern Group Tauranga Whai (2-1)

The SBS Southland Sharks return home on Sunday afternoon looking to steady their season against a Tauranga Whai side that arrives in Invercargill fresh off its first loss of the year.

Southland sits at 1-2 after running into a strong Auckland Tuatara outfit, while the Whai slipped to 2-1 after Otago handed them their first defeat. Both teams have shown they can be dangerous, but both also come into this game needing a response. For the Sharks, that means rediscovering enough offence around Sam Timmins will folding new talent into the fold. For the Whai, it means bouncing back on the road by lifting the offensive production despite being without Reuben Te Rangi once again.

When: Sunday 26 April, Rapid League 1.00pm, Sal’s NBL 2.00pm

Where: ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill

Watch: Live on Sky Sport 2 and Sky Open in New Zealand, ESPN+ in the United States and FIBA YouTube everywhere else

Commentary: Andrew Mulligan & Casey Frank

Box Score Here

Last Time Out:

The Sharks were beaten 91-72 by Auckland in a physical contest where size and half-court execution became the story. Southland stayed in touch for much of the night, and the Caleb Asberry-Sam Timmins connection showed promise early, but the Tuatara’s shot-making and frontcourt control proved too much. Timmins finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, Asberry added 13 points, 3 assists and 2 blocks in his fresh off the plane first appearance, and Tukaha Cooper chipped in 14, but the Sharks could not find enough sustained offence to keep Auckland under real pressure late in the contest.

The Whai were undone 92-81 in Dunedin, in a game where Otago’s defence set the tone. Tauranga battled hard after trailing by 17 at halftime thanks to a sputtering second quarter where they only managed twelve points, but made a real push in the third quarter before the Nuggets found key buckets at down the stretch to hold off the visitors. New import Nick Stoddart was excellent with 24 points and 4 steals, Taine Murray added 23 points and 6 rebounds, and Xanda Marsters had 10 points, but despite a better second half effort Tauranga never quite got all the way back.

What to Expect:

Projected Starters

SBS Southland Sharks

PG: Rylan Jones

SG: Tukaha Cooper

SG: Caleb Asberry

F: Brayden Inger

C: Sam Timmins

The Northern Group Tauranga Whai

PG: Nick Stoddart

G: Xanda Marsters

SG: Taine Murray

F: Cole Hopoi

C: Nic Tata

Southland’s picture looks a little different now that Asberry, Boone and Inger are back in the mix. Asberry's return gives the Sharks another genuine perimeter creator and scorer, and that matters because so much of the early offensive burden has sat on Timmins and Jones. Timmins has been enormous through three games, Jones has given them secondary scoring and rebounding, and Cooper has had to take on a big role in the backcourt. If Asberry is able to build on his first outing, the Sharks suddenly look far more balanced. When adding the three level scoring of Keylan Boone and the switchy shot making of Brayden Inger, this is a much more threatining team, even if they are still awaiting the services of Max Darling and Tobias Cameron.

The Whai, meanwhile, are still working around the absence of Te Rangi, but they have found different ways to score. Murray remains the main focal point of the attack, Stoddart immediately made an impact in his first game, and Marsters continues to be one of the more efficient all-round guards in the league. Tata gives Tauranga interior finishing and size, while Hopoi’s role remains important as a connector and defender around the veterans.

This game may come down to which team wins the battle between structure and physicality. Tauranga has more perimeter shot-making and more fluid offensive balance, especially when Murray, Marsters and Stoddart are all humming. Southland, however, has the most dominant interior player on the floor in Timmins and will want to make this game as tough and as physical as possible. If the Sharks can find added perimeter support with the new additions while still dominating the rebounding battle with Timmins and company, they will like the matchup. If the Whai can keep the floor spread and force Southland’s defence into repeated rotations, they have the tools to score in bursts and keep the Sharks from creating any distance between the teams to give themselves a chance to steal the road win late.

Matchup to Watch: Sam Timmins v Nic Tata

This is the frontcourt battle that could shape the entire game.

Timmins has been one of the Sal's NBL's dominant players to open the season, averaging 24.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 blocks. He is doing a little bit of everything for Southland and remains an obvious focal point at both ends. Tata does not have the same statistical profile, but he gives the Whai important size, efficient finishing and rim presence, and his role becomes even more important against a player like Timmins.

If Tata can hold his ground, make Timmins work and help Tauranga survive the paint battle, the Whai will feel much better about their chances of controlling the game around the edges. If Timmins gets deep catches, dominates the glass and starts dictating terms, Southland will believe it can grind out a big home win.

Individual Leaders

Category	Sharks	Whai
Leading scorer	Sam Timmins 24.3	Reuben Te Rangi 35.0
Leading rebounder	Sam Timmins 15.3	Taine Murray 6.0
Leading assists	Sam Timmins 6.0	Jayden Bezzant 5.3
Best FG%	Sam Timmins 67%	Nic Tata 69%
Best 3PT%	Quake Webster 44%	Xanda Marsters 54%
Blocks	Sam Timmins 3.0	Taine Murray / Nicolas Tata / Geordie Hoeata 0.7
Steals	Rylan Jones 1.7	Nick Stoddart 4.0
Minutes	Sam Timmins 36:07	Taine Murray 35:43

Stats that Matter

Stat	Sharks	Whai
Points Per Game	78.0 (11th)	89.7 (7th)
Points Allowed Per Game	90.7 (6th)	84 (3rd)
Scoring Margin	-12.7 (10th)	+5.7 (4th)
Field Goal %	41% (10th)	50% (3rd)
Field Goal % Defense	42% (3rd)	48% (7th)
Free Throw %	53% (11th)	70% (3rd)
3-Point %	26% (11th)	44% (1st)
3-Point % Defense	31% (5th)	67% (1st)
Offensive Rebound %	27% (6th)	25% (10th)
Defensive Rebound %	70% (10th)	71% (9th)
Steals Per Game	6.3 (11th)	7.7 (5th)
Blocks Per Game	4.3 (3rd)	2.3 (10th)
Assist/Turnover Ratio	1.29 (9th)	1.35 (8th)

Southland has been better defensively than its record suggests, especially on the interior, and remains one of the league’s stronger shot-blocking teams, but it has struggled for offensive efficiency outside of Timmins. Tauranga has been efficient from deep on both ends, cleaner offensively and much better from the line even without Te Rangi available. That sets up a simple question on Sunday: can the Sharks turn this into their kind of game, or can the Whai’s skill and spacing win out on the road?