Gutsy Bullets send Hawks into freefall

The Brisbane Bullets have come from a long way back tonight to defeat the Illawarra Harks 88-82 at the WIN Entertainment Centre. 

The Bullets had lost three games on the bounce, had been rocked by injury and illness and lost star import Vic Law for an indefinite period due to an ankle injury. 

Brisbane was able to activate replacement import Lamar Patterson, but he fouled out in the third quarter with just four points to his name; and Bullets star Nathan Sobey had just four points for the first half as well. 

But basketball is a game of two halves and the Hawks opened the door a crack in the third quarter which allowed Brisbane to shoot their way to the front in a hail of Bullets three-pointers. 

It still went down to the wire as the Bullets turned the ball over 17 times, including at crucial moments down the stretch. 

Justinian Jessup had the crowd in raptures with a late long bomb but the officials ruled he had a foot on the line and it counted for just two points. When the Hawks turned the ball over on an inbound pass with 20 seconds left on the clock it was goodnight nurse. 

Fans will be changing their Jason Cadee jerseys to read Jason Cad33 after the guard punished the Hawks with 22 points including five triples while Harry Froling joined the party with three triples as he assembled a complete game with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Sobey might have started the game slowly but he finished it in a big hurry, dunking and shooting the daggers that cut down any hope of a Hawks fightback on his way to 17 points, five rebounds and six assists. 

Brisbane coach Andrej Lemanis praised the resolve of his side to turn things around after weeks of adversity.

"The most pleasing thing was that we showed a bit of grunt and grit and found a way to play that way when things got a bit tough for us," he said.

"We've had some challenges that we've faced over the last couple of weeks ... but we can't have excuses anymore. Being away from home, down on numbers, it doesn't matter.

"We have to find a way to win games, but more importantly we have to play hard."

Lemanis said that Tanner Krebs would miss both of those matches while a final decision on Law was pending.

"It was Lamar's first game back tonight, and he will benefit from that hit out, he only had one practice leading into today," he said.

"Tanner is still a couple of weeks away. Vic has seen the specialist today and spoken to his US specialist today, so we will get some clarity on that over the next 24-48 hours."

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 13

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 82 (Jessup 19, Harvey 18, Grida 12)

BRISBANE BULLETS 88 (Cadee 22, Froling 21, Sobey 17) 

BOX SCORE