Nesbitt, Minas win 15th straight game

Bahamian professional basketball player David Nesbitt and his team, Minas Belo Horizonte (15-1), notched their 15th straight regular season win when they defeated Cerrado Basquete Brasilia (3-13) 93-80 at the Iesplan Gym in Brasilia, Brazil in the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) league – the top men’s league in Brazil – yesterday afternoon.

Nesbitt finished the game with 11 points and five boards. He shot 3-for-5 from the field and was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. He also had two assists and one block in just over 28 minutes of play.

With the win, Minas remains at the top of the NBB standings as they look to keep the top seed in the league. They suffered a 78-70 loss to Sao Paulo on January 19 in Brazil’s Super 8 Cup semi-final game, but their only loss of the season came against Flamengo in their season opener.

The Bahamian forward was one of five Minas players who finished the game Cerrado Basquete Brasilia in double digits in scoring. Ronald led the way for them with 14 points.

Nesbitt got on the scoreboard with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. He made a layup after grabbing his second offensive board of the game. He gave his team their first double-digit lead on the play as they surged ahead 14-4. Their opponent came back to tie the game at 18 with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter, but Minas then went on a key 9-2 scoring run to end the quarter. They went into the second quarter with a 27-20 lead.

In the second quarter, the Bahamian big man connected on his only made shot from behind the three-point arc. He made that shot with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter, putting his team up 46-33. Minas went into the half with a 48-39 lead.

It was a defensive third quarter for Nesbitt and his team as they held Cerrado to just 11 points. A three-point shot by Nesbitt’s teammate David Jackson with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter gave his team a comfortable 69-47 lead. Minas held a 21-point lead, 71-50, as the third quarter came to a close.

Minas was outscored in the fourth quarter 30-22 but their scoring advantage throughout the game helped them hold on for the win.

Minas missed one free throw, going 16-for-17 on the afternoon.

Nesbitt is averaging 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 15 games this season. He is also averaging 29.1 minutes per game and is shooting 55.1 percent from the field.

Nesbitt was recently listed on the 24-member player pool for The Bahamas for the third and final window of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The window is set for February 18-22.

Minas’ next game will be a road game against 16th place Brasilia Basquet tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. local time at the ASCEB Gym in Brasilia, Brazil, 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) here in The Bahamas.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/nesbitt-minas-win-15th-straight-game/