Preview: NBL24 Round 20 v NZ Breakers at Spark Arena

The Brisbane Bullets have to win on Friday night on the road to the New Zealand Breakers in the last game of the NBL regular season to guarantee an NBL24 Finals spot, and it's a building they go into with confidence.

The scenario is simple for the Bullets coming into the last game of the regular season on Friday night at Spark Arena against the Breakers.

Brisbane needs to win the game and they will be guaranteed of finishing somewhere in the top six with a 14-14 record. Then they will sit back to watch the rest of the weekend unfold to see where exactly they end up.

It's not all over for the Bullets should they lose to the Breakers. They could still finish in the top six if other results go their way across the weekend should either the Sydney Kings lose to the South East Melbourne Phoenix or New Zealand go on to lose to the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday.

But the Bullets can keep their fate within their own hands by winning the game and they enter Spark Arena having already won in that stadium earlier this season.

That was back in Round 2 with Brisbane beating New Zealand 89-84 for a first road win under Hostplus Brisbane Bullets Head Coach Justin Schueller.

There was a lot to like back on that night for the Bullets with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists from captain Nathan Sobey.

He had plenty of help too with 17 points from Shannon Scott, 12 points and eight rebounds from Tyrell Harrison, 11 points and three boards from Aron Baynes, and eight points from Isaac White, seven from Sam McDaniel, five from Chris Smith and five from Mitch Norton along with six assists.

The only other meeting between the two teams this season was at Nissan Arena back on December 27 and on that occasion the Breakers scored the 81-71 victory.

Now everything is on the line for both teams in Friday night's match up with not only the Bullets needing the win to lock in a top six position, but the Breakers are trying to securetheir own Finals place and also to salute retiring captain Tom Abercrombie.

Schueller is fully aware of the task ahead of his team and what's at stake, but at the same time he's excited for what's ahead and is confident in what his team is capable of.

"Our thought and mindset has been that win and we're in," Schueller said.

"We would have loved to have locked it away, but at the same time had I knew that we were sitting here at this stage before the season I would have taken it every chance I could.

"We're excited to get over to New Zealand, a place we've already won this year, and we know they have a champion of their club retiring which gives them a bit extra.

"But for us, it's everything that we've been building up all year and we never hoped to make the playoffs. We always expected to and to have that control now to go and do that, it's a great place for this club to be in."

Bullets captain Sobey is looking to take part in Finals for the first time in the five seasons he's now spent with Brisbane as well and couldn’t be in more imposing form coming into Friday night.

He had 37 points in the first three quarters last Friday night against Adelaide before then turning into playmaker when the Sixers double-teamed him to try to get the ball out of his hands in the fourth quarter.

Schueller wouldn’t want anyone else leading his team into battle now on Friday night.

"He was outstanding last week and he came out and set the table for us straight away," Schueller said.

"We're going to need that again this week and he's had some good moments against New Zealand, and there's some advantages there we feel we can pick on which is when we always feel most confident with how we can get his attack going.

"He's led us from start to end and this is a bit of a legacy moment for him to be the guy that helps us get back in the playoffs after so many years out of it. That would be a real fitting thing for him with the way his season has gone so I'm looking forward to the boys following his lead."

Casey Prather is one of three Brisbane players with previous NBL championship experience and he is starting to warm back into some impressive form late in the season.

He is looking better physically every time he steps onto the floor, but all he is focused on is helping the Bullets get the crucial win on Friday night so that they can then start preparations for the Play-In Tournament after the FIBA break.

"That's been the story of the last three or four weeks, every game has been very important to us and the team has been thinking about that every single day," Prather said.

"We want to get better, want to go out there and compete and win so that's just the competitive nature that we have.

"During this time it's always a great opportunity to go out there and figure out where you're going to land on the ladder, and then go out and prepare for the playoffs.

"That's what we want to press for at the end of the season and you hope to be the one at the end to cut down those nets. That's a goal for all for all of us and we're being diligent to try and get that done."

GAME INFO

Who: Brisbane Bullets vs New Zealand Breakers

Tip off: 4:30pm (AEST), Friday 16 February, 2024

Where: Spark Arena, Auckland

Watch: ESPN via Foxtel and Kayo