One loss is an aberration, two is a slump.

The Nelson Giants appear to have saved their worst for last, dropping their second straight home game in the national basketball league last night when they folded before the Harbour Heat, 92-72.

That's right ... 20 points. At home. To a team that had lost seven of nine games before the shellacking.

Giants captain Phill Jones was moved to apologise to Giants supporters.

I'd like to say sorry to the fans," he said. "To bring a big crowd in here for a key game and serve them that level of crap is embarrassing. It's probably the most embarrassing performance I can remember being involved with in my career."

If Jones is apologising, then some of his team-mates should be offering refunds.

The Giants were beaten in every hustle category, a hungry Harbour side out-rebounding Nelson 53-32 with 23 of those rebounds off the offensive glass, winning the second chance points 23-8, and making 37 defensive stops to the Giants' 26.

The home team led just twice in the game and were 20 points adrift for the best part of the fourth quarter.

If you give up those sorts of numbers, especially rebounding, you're probably lucky to be beaten by only 20," Jones said.

"There's not one aspect of the game we did to the level we'd expect for this team, at home, coming off a loss and a week out from the playoffs."

To be fair, Harbour should never have been a mid-table team. Despite a lingering ankle injury for Dillon Boucher, they have more than enough talent to give the Giants a game, even on one of Nelson's better nights.

This certainly wasn't one of them.

With Rick Rickert performing his traditional trench warrior's role under the basket, ably aided by Beny Anthony, Reece Cassidy and Daryl Cartwright, the Giants were shamed on the baseline. Tony Rampton had one of his worst nights in blue, Darryl Jones damaged a hamstring and played 14 inconspicuous minutes and Mika Vukona started strongly, but lapsed into early and persistent foul trouble, fouling out in 26 minutes.

That dominance in the paint opened up the court for shooters Corey Webster and Kavossy Franklin, Nelson often having to choose their defensive poison and leaving one or other wide open as they tried to close down Harbour's inside game.

The visitors led 26-19 in the first quarter, Nelson again giving up an unpalatable number of points, mostly off second and third possessions, while the halftime score was 41-37.

Ad Feedback The Heat regrouped after Jones and Mike Harrison had sparked some kind of second-quarter revival to win the third 30-21, completing the job with a 21-14 final period as the Giants' offence (that is, Jones) finally ground to a halt.

Nelson's captain scored 40 on 14 from 27 shooting, making six threes, but he had little help apart from an active 18 by Harrison.

Too often Jones' team-mates froze when their turn with the ball came, Rampton, Mike Fitchett, Josh Bloxham and Darryl Jones combining for seven points.

"That was a shock to our confidence," Bloxham said. "We were rolling until last week and we expected to bounce back from last week's loss with a very strong game.

"Tonight was the worst we have played in a long time."

Apart from Jones, with his 40, seven rebounds and three assists, most of the game's key performers were in maroon.

Rickert runs on energy and emotion and was good for 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Anthony and Cassidy were efficient around the basket.

The Giants seem to have squandered any realistic hope of a home semifinal, but a third or fourth place finish will still secure hosting rights in a quarterfinal. That will be decided next weekend when the Southland Sharks complete Nelson's regular season schedule in the Trafalgar Centre on Friday.

"We were playing great basketball until last week, so we can certainly come back from this," Jones said.

"If we want a quarterfinal, there can't be another game like this. We have to beat Southland, it's that simple."

Fico Finance Nelson Giants 72 (Phill Jones 40, Michael Harrison 18) Harbour Heat 92 (Corey Webster 19, Rick Rickert 19), Final
Referees - Melony Wealleans, Gavin Zimmerman, James Campion
1Q: 19-26
HT: 37-41 (18-15)
3Q: 58-71 (21-30)
FT: 72-92 (14-21)
Giants v Heat (24 KB html)