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Posted on Sunday, July 19th, 2026<\/p>\n
Game Preview: Bulls vs Airs<\/p>\n
The race for the sixth and final place in the Sal\u2019s NBL postseason reaches a critical stage today when the Franklin Bulls host the Taranaki Airs at Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre.<\/p>\n
The Airs enter at 6-12, one victory ahead of the 5-12 Bulls, with both teams attempting to chase down the sides immediately above them. Taranaki won the first meeting by a single point, but Aaron Cook Jr is unavailable with injury.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the results elsewhere this weekend, the mathematics are clear. The winner remains in the chase for six while the loser will be on the outside looking in. Who will keep their finals dream alive in the stockyard today?<\/p>\n
Franklin Bulls vs Taranaki Airs<\/p>\n
When: Sunday 19 July Player Status Report<\/p>\n The Bulls have named Carter Whitt, Derrin Boyd, Jace Carter, Kael Robinson and Dominique Kelman-Poto as their starting five, with their primary rotation available.<\/p>\n The Airs have named Zavier Adam, Brandon Stroud, Nico Hill, Marcel Jones and James Moors as their starters. Taane Samuel, Quintin Bailey, Luka Vea and Riley Tuuta are among the available options from the bench.<\/p>\n Aaron Cook Jr is unavailable with a hamstring injury. Cooper James and Zavier Pearn have not been selected.<\/p>\n What a Win Means<\/p>\n The Manawat\u016b Jets entered the weekend holding sixth place with seven victories, while the Whai, Airs, Giants and Bulls remained in the chasing group.<\/p>\n If the Airs win<\/p>\n Taranaki improves to 7-12 and move level with the Jets on victories and firmly in the chase for sixth. The Airs would remain capable of reaching eight wins, but their final regular-season game is a difficult road assignment against the Auckland Tuatara.\u00a0<\/p>\n If the Bulls win<\/p>\n Franklin improves to 6-12 and remains capable of reaching eight victories by winning its remaining games against the Jets and Canterbury Rams.<\/p>\n The Bulls\u2019 next game against Manawat\u016b would then become a direct opportunity to gain ground on one of the teams currently ahead of them. Franklin also holds a sizeable points-percentage advantage over Taranaki entering today, an important consideration if several teams finish with the same number of wins.<\/p>\n If either team loses<\/p>\n The losing team can finish with no more than seven victories and would find themselves on the outside looking in due to points percentage.\u00a0<\/p>\n That would leave it needing to win every remaining game and rely on results involving the Jets, Whai, Giants and today\u2019s winner. Points percentage is the first tiebreaker, meaning the margin today could eventually become almost as important as the result.<\/p>\n First Matchup<\/p>\n Monday 27 April: Taranaki Airs 91 defeated Franklin Bulls 90<\/p>\n The Airs entered the first meeting following a full week of preparation and made the sharper start, establishing a 26-15 lead after the opening quarter.<\/p>\n Franklin gradually worked its way back into the contest. The Bulls won both the second and third periods 25-21, with Jace Carter creating shots for himself and his teammates as Taranaki\u2019s advantage disappeared.<\/p>\n The teams traded baskets throughout the closing stages before Taane Samuel connected from three to give the Airs breathing room. Derrin Boyd responded to reduce the margin to one, but Franklin was unable to convert the final possession and Taranaki escaped with the victory.<\/p>\n Cook Jr controlled the game with 18 points, five rebounds and 12 assists, while Samuel and Luka Vea each contributed 15 points. Cook\u2019s absence today means the Airs must find another way to reproduce the organisation and creation that proved decisive in New Plymouth.<\/p>\n Taranaki Airs: Aaron Cook Jr 18 points, five rebounds and 12 assists; Taane Samuel 15 points and four rebounds; Luka Vea 15 points and five assists.<\/p>\n Franklin Bulls: Derrin Boyd 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists; Jace Carter 24 points and nine rebounds; Carter Whitt 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists.<\/p>\n Last Time Out<\/p>\n Night \u2019n Day Otago Nuggets 92 defeated Franklin Bulls 88<\/p>\n The Bulls suffered their fifth consecutive defeat when the Nuggets held on for a four-point victory in Pukekohe.<\/p>\n Franklin won the offensive rebounding battle 19-5 and scored 19 second-chance points, but the Bulls shot 41 percent from the field and only 25 percent from three. Otago made 14 triples at 40 percent, providing the difference in a close contest.<\/p>\n Carter Whitt led Franklin with 22 points, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Jace Carter added 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Derrin Boyd also scored 20 points and collected seven rebounds.<\/p>\n Franklin Bulls: Carter Whitt 22 points, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals; Jace Carter 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists; Derrin Boyd 20 points and seven rebounds.<\/p>\n Otago Nuggets: Ethan Rusbatch 21 points and four rebounds; Alain Louis 21 points, three rebounds and six assists; Craig Moller 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.<\/p>\n Nelson Giants 98 defeated Taranaki Airs 73<\/p>\n Taranaki was unable to build on its competitive three-point road loss against Canterbury, falling heavily to Nelson in New Plymouth.<\/p>\n The Airs struggled from the perimeter, making only four of their 24 three-point attempts, while the Giants shot 45 percent overall and connected on 13 triples. Nelson also finished with a 49-48 rebounding advantage and recorded 26 assists.<\/p>\n Brandon Stroud produced 28 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals. James Moors added 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Marcel Jones finished with 14 points and nine boards.<\/p>\n Taranaki Airs: Brandon Stroud 28 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals; James Moors 14 points and 16 rebounds; Marcel Jones 14 points and nine rebounds.<\/p>\n Nelson Giants: Kruz Perrott-Hunt 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals; Tohi Smith-Milner 23 points and seven rebounds; Shane Gatling 13 points.<\/p>\n What to Expect<\/p>\n Franklin\u2019s clearest advantage is its ability to create extra possessions.<\/p>\n The Bulls lead the league with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game and an offensive rebounding percentage of 35 percent. Carter, Robinson, Kelman-Poto and Ellis Biggar consistently attack the glass, helping Franklin remain competitive even when its perimeter shooting is not falling.<\/p>\n That strength targets Taranaki\u2019s greatest statistical weakness. The Airs are last in rebounding margin at minus-5.7 per game and collect a league-low 20 percent of available offensive rebounds. Moors is an elite individual rebounder, but Taranaki needs greater support from Jones, Stroud, Bailey and Samuel.<\/p>\n The Airs\u2019 advantage comes through their defensive activity. Taranaki leads the league with 9.2 steals per game and owns the competition\u2019s best turnover margin. Stroud is one of the league\u2019s leading individual defenders, while the length of Marcel Jones, James Moors and Taane Samuel can create deflections and disrupt passing lanes.<\/p>\n Franklin looks after the ball exceptionally well. The Bulls commit only 11.4 turnovers per game and rank second with a 1.86 assist-to-turnover ratio. Whitt is the engine of that efficiency, leading the league with 9.6 assists per game.<\/p>\n Cook\u2019s absence places additional pressure on Taranaki\u2019s offence. He leads the Airs with 6.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game, so Stroud, Adam and Vea must assume more responsibility as ball-handlers.<\/p>\n Both sides have struggled to score efficiently from the perimeter. Franklin shoots 30 percent from three, while Taranaki is last at 29 percent. Whichever team can generate clean attempts rather than settling for contested jumpers will give itself a major advantage.<\/p>\n Matchups to Watch Two of the league\u2019s leading rebounders meet in an indirect matchup that could determine which team controls the possession battle.<\/p>\n Carter averages 20.2 points and 10.9 rebounds and ranks among the competition leaders in offensive boards. He can attack from the perimeter, score through contact and create second opportunities with his activity around the rim.<\/p>\n Moors averages 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field. His 16-rebound performance against Nelson demonstrated his ability to control the glass even when Taranaki is struggling collectively.<\/p>\n The Airs cannot allow Carter and Franklin\u2019s other forwards to overwhelm Moors with numbers. At the other end, Moors must make the Bulls defend through post touches, screening actions and movement around the basket.<\/p>\n Derrin Boyd vs Brandon Stroud<\/p>\n Boyd is Franklin\u2019s leading scorer at 21.6 points per game and remains capable of taking over a contest with difficult shot-making. He scored 27 points in the first meeting and will again be one of Taranaki\u2019s primary defensive concerns.<\/p>\n Stroud averages 16 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals. With Cook unavailable, he must contribute at both ends by disrupting Boyd while also carrying a greater share of the Airs\u2019 offensive creation.<\/p>\n Taranaki cannot allow Boyd to establish an early rhythm, but Stroud must remain disciplined and avoid foul trouble in a matchup that places significant responsibility on him.<\/p>\n Individual Leaders<\/p>\n Franklin Bulls<\/p>\n Derrin Boyd: 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists Taranaki Airs<\/p>\n Brandon Stroud: 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals \u00a0<\/p>\n Individual Category Leaders \u00a0<\/p>\n Stats That Matter \u00a0<\/p>\n Final Word<\/p>\n There was only one point between these teams in April, and another close contest would be no surprise with their seasons now potentially resting on the outcome.<\/p>\n Franklin has the league\u2019s leading offensive rebounding attack, the competition\u2019s leading assist provider and three players capable of scoring 20 points. The Bulls must turn those advantages into efficient possessions and avoid the defensive breakdowns that have contributed to their five-game losing run.<\/p>\n Taranaki enters without Cook, removing its leading playmaker and most productive ball-pressure defender. Stroud must carry a greater creative load, while Moors and Jones need to prevent Carter and the Bulls from controlling the glass.<\/p>\n The winner remains capable of reaching eight victories and stays firmly involved in the Final 6 race. The loser is capped at seven and will leave Pukekohe needing victories, favourable results elsewhere and assistance from the points-percentage tiebreaker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Posted on Sunday, July 19th, 2026 Game Preview: Bulls vs Airs The race for the sixth and final…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-533771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/533772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhere: Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre, Pukekohe
\nRapid League: 5:00pm
\nSal\u2019s NBL: 6:00pm
\nWatch: Sky Sport 3
\nCommentary: Nathan Limm and Krystal Leger-Walker
\nBox Score Here<\/a>
\nTickets Here<\/a><\/p>\n
\nJace Carter vs James Moors<\/p>\n
\nJace Carter: 20.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists
\nCarter Whitt: 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 2.3 steals
\nDominique Kelman-Poto: 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists<\/p>\n
\nJames Moors: 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists
\nMarcel Jones: 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists
\nTaane Samuel: 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nCategory
\nFranklin Bulls
\nTaranaki Airs
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nLeading scorer
\nDerrin Boyd, 21.6ppg
\nBrandon Stroud, 16.0ppg
\n
\n
\nRebounding
\nJace Carter, 10.9rpg
\nJames Moors, 10.4rpg
\n
\n
\nAssists
\nCarter Whitt, 9.6apg
\nBrandon Stroud, 4.5apg
\n
\n
\nSteals
\nCarter Whitt, 2.3spg
\nBrandon Stroud, 2.8spg
\n
\n
\nBlocks
\nJace Carter, 0.8bpg
\nJames Moors, 0.8bpg
\n
\n
\nField-goal percentage
\nDominique Kelman-Poto, 62%
\nQuintin Bailey, 55%
\n
\n
\nThree-point percentage
\nHunter Savill, 53%
\nRiley Tuuta, 44%
\n
\n
\nTurnovers
\nCarter Whitt, 3.4 per game
\nBrandon Stroud, 3.1 per game
\n
\n
\nMade three-pointers
\nDerrin Boyd, 2.7 per game
\nMarcel Jones, 2.2 per game
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nCategory
\nFranklin Bulls
\nTaranaki Airs
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nRecord
\n5-12
\n6-12
\n
\n
\nMaximum wins possible
\n8
\n8
\n
\n
\nPoints percentage
\n94
\n88
\n
\n
\nLast five games
\n0-5
\n1-4
\n
\n
\nPoints per game
\n89.3, 6th
\n83.2, 11th
\n
\n
\nPoints allowed
\n95.4, 9th
\n90.1, 6th
\n
\n
\nScoring margin
\n-6.1, 7th
\n-6.9, 8th
\n
\n
\nField-goal percentage
\n43%, 10th
\n44%, 9th
\n
\n
\nDefensive field-goal percentage
\n51%, 11th
\n46%, 6th
\n
\n
\nThree-point percentage
\n30%, 10th
\n29%, 11th
\n
\n
\nDefensive three-point percentage
\n35%, 9th
\n33%, 6th
\n
\n
\nFree-throw percentage
\n67%, 10th
\n62%, 11th
\n
\n
\nRebounds
\n41.3 per game, 6th
\n38.7 per game, 9th
\n
\n
\nRebounding margin
\n+1.4, 5th
\n-5.7, 11th
\n
\n
\nOffensive rebounds
\n13.7 per game, 1st
\n7.9 per game, 10th
\n
\n
\nAssists
\n21.1 per game, 4th
\n19.3 per game, 7th
\n
\n
\nTurnovers
\n11.4 per game
\n12.8 per game
\n
\n
\nAssist-to-turnover ratio
\n1.86, 2nd
\n1.50, 9th
\n
\n
\nSteals
\n8.5, 5th
\n9.2, 1st
\n
\n
\nBlocks
\n2.0, 11th
\n\u00a02.3, 8th
\n
\n
<\/p>\n