Game Preview – Taranaki Airs v Canterbury Rams 02/04/25

The ever-dangerous Taranaki Airs await the Canterbury Rams at TSB Stadium. Could we be in for a repeat of our electric 2024 semi final?

Game Info

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025. 

Rapid League: 6:00 PM. Sal’s NBL: 7:00pm.

TSB Stadium, New Plymouth.

Watch live on Sky Sport 2 (NZ), ESPN3 (USA), FIBA YouTube (Globally)

So, What Are We Dealing With?

Also sitting at a record of 3-1, the Taranaki Airs are once again one of the top teams in the competition. I’m sure you all remember our last encounter with them; a dramatic double-overtime semi final thriller for the ages.

Tonight’s game is full of interesting positional match-ups, so let’s address them all one-by-one.


Lefty Leaders: Taylor Britt vs Owen Foxwell

Being two of the premiere point guards in the League, Britt & Foxwell will be a handful for each other to slow down.

Speed kills when it comes to TB, who is putting up 21.8 points and 4.5 assists on the season. His ability to raise the tempo of the game while playing under control has given opponents trouble for a while now.

Equally gritty as he is crafty, Foxwell has proven to be one of the Australian NBL’s most talented young point guards. In his first Sal’s NBL experience, he’s posting averages of 17.3 points and leading the league with 9.7 assists. 


Battle of the Breakers: Max Darling & Kaia Isaac vs Carlin Davison

The BNZ Breakers coaching staff (and new ownership) are sure to be tuning in to see their young guns battle it out in New Plymouth. Max Darling, Carlin Davison, and Kaia Isaac are all set to hit the floor tonight and will all point to prove.

Davison is having a hell of a season for the Airs, averaging 25.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. Known for being an athletic marvel, the 6’5” wing impresses every season with his ongoing skill development.

Darling, a regular in the Breakers’ rotation, is settling into his role as a super-sub with the arrival of Kyle Bowen. In his last outing against Wellington, Max lived up to his “Spark Plug” nickname, scoring 20 points on 8-10 shooting.

Rounding out the Breakers trio, Isaac continues to showcase his versatility at the Sal’s NBL level. His averages of 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists make him one of the competition’s best up-and-coming guards.


Dynamic Duos: Kyle Bowen & Tohi Smith-Milner vs Harry Froling & Jack Andrew 

Bowen and Smith-Milner are an on-court match made in heaven (I swear I’m not biased). As a duo, they provide defensive coverage versatility and complimentary inside-outside scoring package. Interestingly enough, the Airs are constructed in a similar fashion with the tall tandem of Froling and Andrew. 

Froling’s return to play has been an inspiring story to watch unfold, and as it turns out, he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s making an early case for the All Star 5, boasting per game numbers of 24.5 points and 11.3 rebounds. Much like Smith-Milner, he has a history of stretching the floor, which allows Andrew to do what he does best around the basket. 

The Hot Topic: Minutes Distribution

As the season matures and we creep closer to full strength, managing minutes will continue to become a more challenging task.

Last week saw the addition of Kyle Bowen, who had a fantastic debut with 17 points and 8 rebounds. He logged 29.9 minutes against Wellington and is likely to continue seeing that sort of play. We’re also lucky to have Walter Brown back from injury. Brown averaged 27.6 minutes in 2024.

With those two in the mix, it will be interesting to see how that affects the minutes of the players above. This road trip will give us a fairer idea of what the rotation might look like.

Injury Report (as of 02/04/25)

Canterbury Rams
OUT – Sean Macdonald (injury)
OUT – CJ Penha (personal)
OUT – Corban Mason (not selected)
OUT – Marco Sula (not selected)

Taranaki Airs
OUT – Jordan Cooper (not selected)