Brisbane claims crucial win over Adelaide

The Brisbane Bullets returned to winning ways at Nissan Arena on Friday night, earning a tough 77-73 win over the Adelaide 36ers.

In what was undoubtedly an important matchup for the Bullets, Lamar Patterson continued to lead the way as he has done so often this season. LP had a season-high 32-points, as well as six assists and four boards.

Brisbane were without star Nathan Sobey for this game too, with the star guard having been ruled out for his second-consecutive fixture. But playing in front of an incredibly loud and vocal Brisbane crowd, a number of players stood up when it counted in key moments.

After winning the tip-off, the Bullets got off to a perfect start through Lamar Patterson. The American stated his intent right from the get-go, draining a deep three without any hesitation on the opening possession of the game.

But the 36ers responded in emphatic fashion, going on a 15-0 run.

Brisbane bounced back before the quarter was over, going on a 8-2 run of their own on the back of three-pointers from Isaiah Moss and Anthony Drmic.

Patterson added another deep three with under two minutes to play in the first too, on his way to his NBL career high 13-points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a seesawing battle, but the Bullets eventually took the lead with just over three minutes to play in the first-half through an Anthony Drmic layup. This was their first lead since the opening possession of the contest.

While it was a close contest, Adelaide went into the half-time break with a tense two-point lead.

Patterson’s impressive scoring feat in the first-half carried into the second-half, with the forward converting a layup to register Brisbane’s first points of the quarter. He backed this up shortly after with his fourth 3PM of the evening.

There were a few highlights which really stood out. One of the plays of the game was Patterson linking up with Deng Deng for the first Bullets dunk of the evening.

With the Bullets down by six later in the quarter, Robert Franks drained two three-pointers in quick succession to bring the hosts to within two at that stage of the game. But Brisbane would go into the final quarter down 57-61.

Six unanswered points to start the quarter saw the 36ers race out to a 10-point lead with seven minutes on the clock.

But an 18-3 run from the Bullets saw them take control of the match when it was there for the taking. While Deng Deng had the go-ahead basket to make the scores 71-70, LP had a major dunk that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

The Bullets managed to close out the contest with Tanner Krebs being intentionally fouled late, but both of his shots willed their way into the net for crucial scores.

Speaking after the match, which ended a four-match losing streak for the Brisbane outfit, coach James Duncan told media that his team “we’re exhausted but that’s what it takes.”

Coach also commented on the outstanding performance from Patterson, who had another great game.

“He played a tremendous basketball game, trusted his teammates,” Duncan said.

“It was really nice to see that and how he impacted the game.”

Up next for Brisbane is an away trip to the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena. The team could get revenge for their loss in Sydney late last month.

NBL22 Round 11

BRISBANE BULLETS 77 (Patterson 32 points, Franks 15, Moss 7)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 73 (Johnson 15, Malou 11, Bairstow)

Next Home Game

Brisbane have three away games between now and their next match at Nissan Arena. But it’ll be worth the wait, with the Bullets set to host the Tasmania JackJumpers for the first time in the young history of this matchup. Make sure you grab your tickets!