Bullets come up just short in Launceston thriller

The Brisbane Bullets went ever so close to a fourth straight win in the space of nine days this NBL season but it was the Tasmania JackJumpers clinging to the 87-85 win in a heart stopping finish in Launceston.

After the Bullets conceded the first nine points of the game, they worked their way on top and led the JackJumpers by as much as nine just before half-time in the hunt of a fourth consecutive victory.

Coming off beating Perth on the road last Friday and then home wins on Sunday to Tasmania and South East Melbourne on Thursday, the Bullets might have been running off fumes but still had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds.

It was a chaotic final couple of minutes and ultimately Sam McDaniel's jumper rimmed out that could have sent the game to overtime with Tasmania winning by two.

The Bullets gave themselves every opportunity of making it four consecutive wins shooting 50 per cent from the field for the game and hitting 25/31 at the foul line despite going just 2/13 from three-point territory.

Brisbane also outrebounded Tasmania 42 to 31 for the game and ended up with 48 points to 34 in the paint.

Tyrell Harrison continued his brilliant form this season inside for the Bullets and top-scored with 20 points to go with seven rebounds on 7/8 shooting from the field and 6/6 at the foul line.

Captain Nathan Sobey had another 18 points, six rebounds and two assists on 4/8 shooting and 9/9 at the charity stripe. Chris Smith contributed 10 points and three boards, and Mitch Norton 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Josh Bannan finished with another eight points, eight rebounds and three assists, Aron Baynes six points and two boards, Sam McDaniel five points and four rebounds, Isaac White four points and three boards, DJ Mitchell two points, an assist and a block, and Rocco Zikarsky two points and a rebound.

Milton Doyle top-scored for Tasmania with 24 points but McDaniel made it tough for him once more, with Jack McVeigh adding 13 points for the JackJumpers and Jordon Crawford 11.

Starts have been a strong suit in recent games for the Bullets after some rough opening to contests earlier in the season, but it was Tasmania flying out of the blocks on Saturday in Launceston with the first nine points.

Hostplus Brisbane Bullets Head Coach Justin Schueller went to an early timeout and got the response he was after beginning with a bucket to Josh Bannan after a couple of offensive rebounds.

That sparked a run of eight straight points for Brisbane too with four of them apiece from Bannan and frontcourt partner Tyrell Harrison.

Then following five points from former Bullet Anthony Drmic for Tasmania, Brisbane continued to build some impressive momentum with Aron Baynes and Rocco Zikarsky both hitting the floor to score, and when Nathan Sobey hit a triple late in the opening period, scores were level.

The JackJumpers did lead 21-19 at quarter-time but the Bullets had scored 19 of the last 31 points and then the visitors started the second stanza going on an 8-2 run including a big two-handed flush from Harrison.

That had the Bullets leading by four and soon after Bannan scored again to stretch it to six and the lead grew to as much as nine shortly before the break after an alley-oop finish in transition from Harrison, and a pretty turnaround jumper from Chris Smith.

Brisbane still led 45-41 at the half while shooting 58 per cent from the field and with the three-man centre rotation of Harrison, Baynes and Zikarsky combining for 18 points and five rebounds.

Tasmania came out hot to open the second half and ended up making seven three-pointers in the third quarter starting with a couple to Milton Doyle and then two to captain Clint Steindl late, which helped them open up a nine-point lead by three quarter-time.

The Bullets were anything but done, though, despite falling 12 points behind to start the final period with Steindl making another from beyond the arc.

Sobey got aggressive with a couple of strong moves to keep Brisbane in touch before Harrison completed three consecutive powerful inside finishes to bring his team back within three points.

Norton and Harrison then combined for another 6-0 run to tie scores up and it remained a tight contest down the stretch.

In a frantic finish, neither team could find a basket in the last couple of minutes and it was all go from end to end, but in the last play McDaniel had a good look at a jumper that could have sent it to overtime. It didn’t quite fall and Tasmania held on to win by two.

The Bullets now have eight days until hitting the court again next Sunday still on the road to the defending champion Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL INDIGENOUS ROUND

BRISBANE BULLETS 85 (Harrison 20, Sobey 18, Smith 10, Norton 10)

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 87 (Doyle 24, McVeigh 13, Crawford 11)

BOX SCORE