Bullets bounce back emphatically to down Wildcats

After trailing by 18 early in the third quarter, the Bullets pulled off a huge comeback to defeat the Perth Wildcats 91-88 in front of vocal home crowd.

Brisbane outscored their opposition 52-35 in the second half, locking down on defence and kept them off the glass with 11 more rebounds in the same period.

Lamar Patterson led the way for Brisbane with 23 points and five rebounds, including a play at the rim to give the Bullets their first lead since the opening basket of the game, with nine seconds remaining.

Matt Hodgson made his mark on the game, protecting the paint and finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Cadee also made some huge plays down the stretch finishing with 16 points, five assists and two steals.

Brisbane were in attack mode from the jump with Nathan Sobey and Matt Hodgson slicing through the paint to put heat on the rim.

However, Perth soon got rolling offensively through Clint Steindl who knocked down three triple’s in the opening quarter to give the Wildcats an early 13 point lead. 

The Bullets responded well in the second quarter with a 14-3 run to begin. With the tough task of guarding Bryce Cotton, Tamuri Wigness stepped up and provided an energetic spark on defence on his way to four steals.

Jason Cadee and BJ Johnson knocked down some big three’s off some great ball movement to pull the lead back to five.

The Wildcats were able to weather the Bullets storm late in the second quarter, extending their lead back out to 14 at the half. 

Perth had a couple of buckets to start the third, however Brisbane lifted their defensive intensity and momentum began to swing heavily in favour of the home side.  

Lamar Patterson generated plenty of offense in the third, cashing in on the Bullets defensive stops and after trailing by as many as 18, they clawed the deficit back to a more manageable margin. 

Offensive execution and gritty defence was key to Bullets run in the third as they went into the final quarter down just eight.

Jason Cadee got the Bullets rolling in the final quarter with a crafty floater. Followed by a savvy offensive rebound and score at the rim from Hodgson. 

After being kept relatively quiet for his standards, Bryce Cotton knocked down a three to keep Perth in front. 

The Bullets continued to battle throughout the fourth and the defensive intensity lifted another level. A steal and score from Patterson followed by a long bomb from Cadee forced the Perth to call a timeout as the Bullets trailed by four with five minutes remaining.

Out of the timeout a defensive rebound and fast break finish from BJ Johnson had Brisbane trailing by two. 

John Mooney was sent to the line on consecutive possessions taking the Perth lead back out to four with two minutes remaining.

A huge Cadee steal and lay up had the Bullets trail by two. The Bullets got another stop and Patterson got to the line to draw the scores level with 27 seconds to play.

In the next possession, Mooney was sent to the stripe, making one of two as the Bullets took a timeout with 16 seconds remaining and trailing by 1.

Out of the timeout, Patterson got to the rim to give the Bullets the lead with nine seconds remaining. 

Perth took a timeout and ran a half court set, but the Bullets locked down forcing a tough shot and were able to pull down the defensive board. A quick could from Perth sent BJ Johnson to the free throw line who iced the game.

The Bullets will look to continue their positive momentum forward when they take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday, followed by Melbourne United at Nissan Arena. 

Next Up

The Bullets will look to continue their positive momentum forward when they take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday, followed by Melbourne United at Nissan Arena.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 19

Brisbane Bullets (Patterson 23, Hodgson 16, Cadee 16)

Perth Wildcats (Steindl 25, Mooney 18, Magnay 11)