Preview: NBL24 Round 19 v Adelaide 36ers at Nissan Arena

The Brisbane Bullets have the chance to take a giant step towards a top six NBL finish by rewarding the home fans with a win against the Adelaide 36ers at Nissan Arena on Friday night.

Friday night will see the Bullets play their last home game of the regular season at Nissan Arena with another packed venue to be on hand for the occasion against the 36ers in the penultimate round of NBL24.

The Bullets come into the game sitting in sixth position in the NBL standings with a 12-14 record on the back of having lost the past two games to Melbourne United and the Illawarra Hawks.

Those two defeats have come by a combined 29 points, but that doesn’t tell the whole story especially last Saturday on the road to the Hawks where Brisbane were leading by four points still with eight minutes remaining in the contest.

And prior to losing those two games, Brisbane had won five of the previous six matches which now has them still holding onto sixth position with two rounds, and two games, of the season remaining.

That begins on Friday night hosting an Adelaide team coming into the round sitting in ninth position on the table with an 11-15 record, but having won seven of 13 matches since Scott Ninnis replaced Bullets great CJ Bruton as coach back at the start of December.

The two teams have already played twice so far this season starting back on the opening night at Nissan Arena. Adelaide shot out of the blocks scoring the first 15 points of the game, but Brisbane soon worked on top and ended up scoring the 15-point victory.

The next meeting was on Christmas Eve at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and on that occasion it was the 36ers scoring the 95-88 victory.

Being in a position where their destiny is in their own hands is a situation Hostplus Brisbane Bullets Head Coach Justin Schueller likes being in with two games to go.

The Bullets are guaranteed of at least making the top six, and possibly the top four, by winning these last two games so that means Friday night's home clash with the Sixers is a big one on a number of fronts for Schueller.

"Pressure this time of year means that it's a bit of a privilege that has been put on your because it means you're still a chance," Schueller said.

"That's the thing matters most and when I took this over and we sat there at the start of the year, it was about getting this club back to where it should be and that's one of the powerhouses in the league.

"Right now this is our last rostered home game of the year and we're all about making the playoffs. We know we can't get there without this one in front of our fans, and what it's about is rewarding them for all the support they have given us all year.

"But also for us to level up and put one foot in the door, one win will probably get us in but two will guarantee it so that's where the mindset is and I can't be more excited about having that opportunity right now."

In the big picture, it's been a remarkably tight NBL season and for Schueller that's exciting to be part of, but it also means every night is a challenge because every single team is capable of beating, or losing to, every other team.

There's been plenty of learning points along the way for the Bullets as a result and it's been a rollercoaster ride with winning and losing streaks right throughout.

Brisbane won the first two games of the season before losing the next four, winning the next three and losing three more straight. There were then two more wins to start December before four successive defeats, five wins in six matches, and now losses in the past two games.

All added up and the Bullets are 12-14 with two games to go and for their finals destiny to be still in their hands is a situation Schueller is comfortable being in.

"It's been one of the best seasons I've been involved with and every night you're not quite sure what's going to happen," Schueller said.

"That's been part of our journey and our learnings is being able to be on point every single night. We thought we defended at a playoff level last weekend but couldn’t put the ball in the hole, and that's something that we've got to be great on this week.

"But to be at this point of the season with two rounds to go and all I wanted was for us to control our own destiny or to be already in. We still control our destiny and there's no better place to be at this point in time."

The Bullets have made a big focus on sticking to their daily habits throughout the season with the view that by doing that, it will turn into winning habits and that should they keep doing the right things, the rewards will come.

That's why there's no reason for Schueller to want to change anything leading into these last two games of the regular season starting Friday night against the 36ers.

Schueller has full faith in what his Bullets team is capable of with their finals spot on the line now over the next two weeks, but at the same time he's fully aware of the threat posed by the 36ers.

It's going to be tough for Adelaide to reach finals from there, but with momentum they have gained under Ninnis and with Kell, Humphries and Vasiljevic leading from the front, Schueller knows they aren’t going to be any easybeats.

"Every week we prepare the same way so we go into every game expecting to win, but we're not shy on knowing that the opposition is always going to have talent in key areas that we have to be great against," Schueller said.

"The 36ers present that and they've got three guys who are playing exceptionally well with other key pieces around that. Credit to Scott Ninnis and the way that they're playing now so we know that they are coming in with basically a free hit.

"When teams get to do that that's a dangerous proposition so we have to be on point because we're playing for our lives. That's all that matters to us right now."

GAME INFO

Who: Brisbane Bullets vs Adelaide 36ers

Tip off: 6:30pm (AEST), Friday 9 February, 2024

Where: Nissan Arena

Tickets: Available Here

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