Preview: NBL24 Round 10 v Melbourne United at John Cain Arena

Brisbane Bullets Hostplus Head Coach Justin Schueller knows full well to expect a fired up Melbourne United on Sunday but he has full faith in his team being able to continue their momentum at John Cain Arena.

United are coming off a loss last Sunday also on their home floor to the Cairns Taipans and given he was a long-time championship winning assistant at the club to Dean Vickerman, Schueller is fully aware what sort of reaction to expect from Melbourne.

However, with the Bullets fresh off two wins last weekend on the road to that same Snakes team that beat United so impressively on Sunday and then at home to the Illawarra Hawks on Sunday, the team have every reason to be feeling good going into the contest.

That form stacks up even more impressively considering Cairns went on to beat Melbourne two days after Brisbane beat them and then the same Hawks that the Bullets beat were then the team that ended the six-game winning streak of the Perth Wildcats this Friday night.

The two teams have already met once this season and that was also at John Cain Arena back on October 15 and while Melbourne won that game 89-78, Brisbane produced a strong fourth quarter fightback to give them some heart going into the return encounter.

The Bullets have now impressed over the last eight games of the season starting with consecutive wins against Perth, Tasmania and South East Melbourne.

While that was followed by losses to the JackJumpers, Kings and Wildcats leading into the FIBA international window, the Bullets were on top for the majority of each of those contests and in winning positions.

Now, after the break and with another two wins against the Taipans and Hawks, he's confident in what his team will be able to deliver.

"That club doesn’t lose two in-a-row too often and we are all about making our own history, and trying to put ourselves in positions to try to do something new," Schueller said.

"They touched us up last time down there and out of every club in this league it's probably the only one against where we felt like we hadn’t met the standard, or been at the same level as them yet.

"I say yet because we are a different side now and we definitely are looking forward to going into there. We know it's going to be a tough game and they are an exceptional team who are well prepared, but it's about us just continuing to grow and putting ourselves in a position where hopefully we can get one on the road."

Along with the 100th NBL game of Tyrell Harrison this week will be captain Nathan Sobey playing his 250th game in the NBL.

Having started in the league as a development player at the Taipans where he forced his way into the rotation with his sheer athleticism, explosiveness and determination, it was at the 36ers where he became a genuine star.

He was instrumental in getting the Sixers to within one game of a championship, ironically against Sunday's opponent Melbourne, and turned himself into one of the best players in the country and is now even an Olympic bronze medallist having been at the Tokyo Olympics.

It's with the Bullets where he has made his biggest mark, though, and has remained loyal to the organisation through some tough times, is now the sole captain for NBL24 and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

That's why his performance in Sunday's win against Illawarra shows how much of a team player he is when he had a significant impact on just four shots to finish with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.

"It's easily forgotten that Sobes has had to do a lot in the last few years at this club to just try and keep them in games," Schueller said.

"What we've worked with him on is understanding what winning can look like when he doesn’t have to be the only one scoring, and he also had six assists in our last game and that's outstanding by him.

"He also had seven rebounds and gets eight points, that sort of stat-line is going to put us in a winning position every night. There are going to be games where we need him to go get 30 for us as well, but what we love is the depth of talent we have.

"I'm not sure other people around the league believe in it as much as we do and that's something that I've got to continue to trust. There hasn’t been a loss this year where I'm not kicking myself for not trusting myself more.

"That's a strength and Sobes has been an outstanding leader for us, and whatever push we make towards the playoffs he is going to be a big part of it."

GAME INFO

Who: Brisbane Bullets vs Melbourne United

Tip off: 1:00pm (AEST), Sunday 10 December, 2023

Where: John Cain Arena

Watch: 10 Peach, ESPN via Foxtel and Kayo