Casey, 'Dre fire Bullets to Sunshine Stoush win

Casey Prather and Keandre Cook delivered 65 points between them and the Brisbane Bullets improved to an 8-8 record for the NBL season with the 107-104 Sunshine Stoush victory at home to the Cairns Taipans.

The Bullets were back home at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre having won three of the past four games and having been in a winning position on Sunday in Sydney, but it turned out to be a rollercoaster affair.

Both teams ended up combining to shooting 30/59 from behind the three-point arc in the game with the lead continuing to swing, but the Bullets took charge in the fourth quarter on the way to the eventual three-point victory.

The Bullets ended up shooting 50 per cent from the field while making 13/27 from three-point range and 16/24 at the foul line while scoring 30 points from the 17 turnovers from the Taipans and pulling down 16 offensive rebounds for 13 second chance points.

Prather continued his hot form with another 35 points, three steals and two rebounds on shooting 13/21 from the floor and 6/9 from behind the three-point arc.

Cook added another 30 points, six rebounds and two assists on 11/22 from the field and 4/12 from deep with Tyrell Harrison contributing another 12 points and five rebounds.

James Batemon injured a hamstring in the second half but prior to that had nine points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds with Tohi Smith-Milner providing six points and four boards on 2/3 from three-point land.

Rocco Zikarsky also had six points and three rebounds, the returning Josh Bannan five points and six boards, Isaac White four points and two rebounds, and Mitch Norton and Emmett Naar combined for seven assists.

The Taipans ended up shooting 17/32 from three-point range for the night with Rob Edwards putting up 27 points, Pedro Bradshaw 22, Taran Armstrong 16 and development player Alex Higgins-Titsha 12.

It was a game of momentum swings right throughout the evening and it was the Bullets with the better of the start leading 13-8 early on the back of a three-point play from Tyrell Harrison and a couple of free throws from Casey Prather.

Cairns then scored 14 straight points but Brisbane answered with an 11-2 run to tie scores up with that streak including a pair of triples from Prather and a couple of buckets from the returning Josh Bannan.

The Taipans did pull away to a four-point lead once more but that was back to one on quarter-time thanks to a Bullets three ball from Isaac White.

Brisbane were back in front with a 5-2 start to the second period before it was the Snakes turn to have the momentum once more with the visitors scoring nine straight points to lead by seven.

Brisbane again responded including a three ball from Tohi Smith-Milner before Rocco Zikarsky made a couple of baskets, and then Cook nailed a long ball on the half-time buzzer to give the Bullets the 56-54 advatnage.

Brisbane extended that advantage to six to start the second half thanks to Harrison and Prather, but another 8-0 scoring run from Cairns had the Taipans back in front.

Then it was Prather's turn to put the Bullets back on top when he landed three consecutive makes from behind the three-point arc and that helped the home team to a five-point edge.

It was still only a one-point ball game by three quarter-time, though, before Brisbane were back up five thanks to six consecutive points early in the fourth through Prather and Cook.

The rollercoaster ride continued with Cairns briefly regaining the lead, but once three balls from Cook and Prather restored Brisbane to the advantage, they would never again surrender it.

Cook hit another from downtown to stretch the lead to four and then Smith-Milner made it six, an Harrison finished inside to make it seven, but there were still some nervous moments late.

A couple of Cairns threes in the final minute helped bring it back to a two-point game and the Snakes even had a shot to force overtime at the buzzer, but the Bullets held on for the three-point win.

The Bullets now prepare to take on the Adelaide 36ers on the road on Christmas Eve before returning to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre two days after Christmas to play host to the current league-leading Illawarra Hawks.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2024/25

BRISBANE BULLETS 107 (Prather 35, Cook 30, Harrison 12)

CAIRNS TAIPANS 104 (Edwards 27, Bradshaw 22, Armstrong 16)

BOX SCORE