The EnviroNZ Franklin Bulls’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread after a hard-fought 93-86 loss to the Taranaki Mountainairs in Pukekohe on Friday night.
The Bulls pushed their highly rated visitors hard early, jumping out to a handy lead before the Airs fought their way back in the second quarter.
When it looked like they might fade out of contention, Morgan Maskell’s side showed plenty of fight to work their way back to level the game midway through the final quarter.
But it wasn’t to be, and the Airs closed out the game to leave the Bulls needing to win their last two games to make the Sal’s NBL playoffs.
Anzac Rissetto led the way for the Bulls with a game-high 27 points to go with 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Corey Webster chipped in 24 points and six assists while Isaac Davidson, fresh off Tall Blacks duty, had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The Bulls face a final weekend road trip down south and will need to beat the Southland Sharks and Otago Nuggets to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
In addition to getting the pair of wins, the Bulls will need to beat the Nuggets by 17 or more or they will be relying on other results to go their way.
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