The Tall Blacks have started the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers with a bang, dismantling Hong Kong
Forward Jordan Ngatai led the way with 20 points, including six three-pointers, as the Tall Blacks never had to get out of third gear, easing to a 92-51 victory at Tsuen Wan Stadium, Hong Kong on Thursday (Friday NZ Time).
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Coupled with the Philippines' shock 91-84 loss to Chinese Taipei, the Tall Blacks now have a chance to take the top spot in Group B in their final qualifying clash with Gilas Pilipinas at Auckland's Spark Arena on Sunday (tip-off 3pm).
Supporting Ngatai, who went 6-of-7 from long-range and added five rebounds and three steals to his stat-line, captain Reuben Te Rangi had 18 points (7/10 FG, 2/3 3pt) and Tai Wynyard 13 points (6/9 FG) and nine boards.
With New Zealand's forward line dominating, Tohi Smith-Milner added 11 points (4/7 FG, 2/5 3pt) and two steals, while point guard Taylor Britt produced nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
Having already secured a place at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia, the Tall Blacks made a rapid start to the game, with Sam Waardenburg winning the opening tip and Te Rangi bustling to the hoop for an and-one and three-point play.
Te Rangi’s aggressive play set the tone early, scoring nine of the Tall Blacks' first 14 points. Hong Kong also started strongly getting to the cup with ease and making their first five field goals, keeping them within touching distance.
Ngatai’s back-to-back triples and solid on-ball defence wrestled momentum back the way of the Tall Blacks, who ended the quarter with a 26-21 lead.
In the most exciting moment of the first period, Canterbury Rams guard Tama Isaac got onto the floor for his debut in the black singlet, joining brother Kaia, and becoming the ninth pair of brothers to play for New Zealand.
Te Rangi and Ngatai continued their hot start, scoring at will to start the second. The pair scored a combined 30 of the Kiwis' 52 first-half points.
Another impressive debutant Jackson Ball made an immediate impact with a huge block, further energising the team as they opened the flood gates, going up 19 points by halftime.
The outside shooting of the Tall Blacks once again proving to be a key weapon, going 12-of-25 from deep, helping them extend their lead to 24 points at the end of the third.
Ball finally got on the scoresheet in the fourth quarter, completing the rare feat of all 11 Tall Blacks who suited up scoring in the game. Veteran Corey Webster did not play, meaning his 100th appearance will likely come at home on Sunday.
Wynyard’s thunderous one-handed jam with a minute and a half left in the fourth added an exclamation point for the Kiwis.
Hong Kong big man Duncan Reid used his strength down low and battled fiercely with the Kiwi bigs all night long to post an impressive 17-point, four-rebound night for the home side.
Head coach Judd Flavell was impressed with his team’s performance, particularly on the defensive end.
“We really wanted to come into this game tonight and established a defensive identity which meant we wanted to be up the floor, pressuring the basketball and trying to make Hong Kong feel uncomfortable out there.
"In the first five minutes, Hong Kong got off to a great start, but I felt like we made some good adjustments from that point on.”
That defensive pressure equated to 24 Hong Kong turnovers, leading directly to 21 points.
“We have a lot to build, this is my second campaign with the group. We have half of the team that was here from November, and the rest of the guys were new to the system. So we always knew we were going to be a little clunky in a couple of places. But we really wanted to make sure at the end of the day, that our defence was going to get the job done.”
Tall Blacks captain Reuben Te Rangi echoed these thoughts in the post game press conference.
“We’ve been together for two or three days, and we knew the Xs and Os were going to be perfect for this game. But the one thing we wanted to hang our hats on was the effort and making sure we were in the battle.”
Tall Blacks 92 (Jordan Ngatai 20, 6/7 3PM, Reuben Te Rangi 18, 7/10FG, Tai Wynyard 13) Hong Kong 51 (Duncan Reid 17). 1Q: 26-21 HT: 52-33, 3Q: 71-47