Basketball: Heat seal playoff spot

North Harbour sealed their place in the National Basketball League top six playoffs, humbling Auckland 88-71 last night.

With Auckland struggling for impact from the bench, they were always relying heavily on their starters to get the job done but they were no match for an increasingly impressive Harbour side that boasts good depth thanks to recent acquisitions in Mike Bell, BJ Anthony and Prem Krishna.

Corey Webster led North Harbour's scorers with 25 points while the bench all enjoyed good court time in a game which they led by 30 points midway through the final quarter.

Auckland's loss leaves them in a precarious position of joining the already eliminated Taranaki in missing out on the playoffs.