Bullets make History with Emphatic win over Phoenix

The Brisbane Bullets made history at Nissan Arena on Saturday afternoon, as they returned to winning ways with an emphatic 100-84 win over South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Brisbane got off to a slow start last weekend against the New Zealand Breakers, but the Bullets had no such problems this time out against the Phoenix, getting off to a perfect start in the first quarter.

The Bullets scored the opening points of the game through centre Tyrell Harrison, who reaped the rewards of a slick and brilliant pass from Lamar Patterson. But Brisbane let their basketball do the talking at both ends of the court, going on an early 13-0 run.

As part of this brilliant start, Nathan Sobey reached a milestone of 300 NBL 3PM. It was part of Sobey’s team-high five-points in the first quarter.

Brisbane continued to dominate the first quarter after this run, with Robert Franks and Jason Cadee both adding three-pointers of their own before the end of the quarter.

Cadee’s was especially impressive, as the guard was able to convert the shot despite being fouled. He then completed his four-point play with a successful trip to the charity stripe.

The first piece of history that the Bullets mad as team today was a result of their dominance on both ends of the court. The 25-point lead was Brisbane’s biggest advantage at quarter time in team history.

To highlight how clinical the Brisbane outfit were, they had 0 turnovers and 11 assists early in the second quarter. In comparison, South East Melbourne had 0 assist and five turnovers.

Antony Drmic scored his first three-pointer of the night three minutes into the second, extending the hosts lead to 26-points early-on.

While the Phoenix continued to fight back, the Bullets were well on top for the rest of this quarter as well. With the Bullets up by 21-points with just under four minutes to play in the half, Sobey linked up with Harrison for an easy basket.

Sobey only got better from here, scoring five-points in 30-seconds. After scoring his first points of the game from beyond the arc, before scoring again in the very next possession.

More history, the Bullets’ 28-point lead was their biggest at half-time since December 2005, when the League began playing 10-minute quarters.

One of the highlights of the match was Chuanxing Liu flexing on the Phoenix with his third basket of the match. Liu had arguably his best showing in Bullets colours, and the Brisbane crowd were well and truly behind him tonight at Nissan Arena.

With just under three minutes to play in the third, Tanner Krebs drained a three-pointer of his own to extend the lead to 29-points.

Robert Franks was among the standouts in the third quarter, as he notched up an impressive double-double. At the end of the quarter, he was leading the team in rebounds and was also proving dangerous from beyond the arc – having scored four three-pointers.

Phoenix guard Mitch Creek opened the scoring in the fourth and final quarter, but the Bullets showed their character once again and responded in style. Anthony Drmic got his hands on the ball at the other end of the court and after taking contact, converted the and-one.

A fadeaway jumper from Franks early in the quarter did extend Brisbane’s lead to 31-points at one stage too.

While the Phoenix did fightback a bit in the final quarter, the Bullets had done enough to record what will go down as both a famous and historic win.

The victory is not only Brisbane’s third win this season, but is also sees them notch up an impressive record against the best teams in the League. Having beaten Perth Wildcats, Illawarra Hawks and now the Phoenix, the Bullets have beaten the three teams who were top of the League before the game today.

Once again, the big name players stood up for the Bullets with Nathan Sobey leading the way with 18 points and 4 assists. Robert Franks (17points, 10 rebs) and Anthony Drmic (14 points) also had impressive showings.

Lamar Patterson was also one assists away from a double-double with 12 points and 9 assists.

NBL22 Round 7

BRISBANE BULLETS 100 (Sobey 18 points, Franks 17, Drmic 14)

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 84 (Creek 19 points, Munford 17, Le’afa 12)

Next Home Game

Next up for the Bullets is another match at Nissan Arena, where they’ll host the Sydney Kings on Friday 21 January at 6:30pm AEST.

There’s been more games announced and some changes to the Bullets’ upcoming schedule so make sure you check that out and get your tickets today!