Preview: NBL26 R12 Home v Perth Wildcats

The Brisbane Bullets have their first Sunday afternoon home game of NBL26 when they play host to the Perth Wildcats at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre looking to reward the home fans.

Both the Bullets and Wildcats come into the Sunday afternoon match up that tips off at 3:30pm Queensland time looking to bounce back from losses earlier this round.

The Bullets were first up on Thursday night on the road to the Illawarra Hawks and it was a seesaw contest the whole way until the home team outscored Brisbane 16-2 in the final three minutes to score the 100-85 victory.

The Wildcats were similarly outscored 19-2 to blow a match winning lead last Sunday against Bryce Cotton and the Adelaide 36ers before then struggling also at home in Perth on Friday with a 29-point defeat at the hands of the Sydney Kings.

So coming into Sunday's game and the Bullets have lost their past five matches to be sitting on a 5-12 record while the 'Cats have lost their past two to be just clinging to a place in the top six at 9-8.

The two teams have already met once this season as well and that was at Perth's RAC Arena back on October 15 where the Bullets shook off a 27-point loss to Illawarra just four days earlier to produce a brilliant performance to win by 17 without Javon Freeman-Liberty, Mitch Norton, Sam McDaniel and Jacob Holt.

Sunday will be a first game since November 20 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the Bullets and coach Stu Lash is looking forward to the chance of a second home win of NBL26 while fully acknowledging the challenge the Wildcats present.

"We're excited to get back in front of our family and friends and members and sponsors because they show great support to the club," Lash said.

"Perth is a formidable opponent who are playing good basketball and we're looking forward to the challenge of getting back. We'll review this game and move on to Perth quickly, and we'll get after it."

Looking back on Thursday night's loss in Wollongong to the Hawks, Lash felt his team's effort was there but their execution wasn’t where they wanted and the rebounding must be an area to improve.

"I thought our effort was really good all night, but our execution not so good," Lash said.

"It was 23 to seven in the last five minutes and that was just not taking care of the ball, making some key decisions and we don't make a three in the second half.

"We talk about the possession game and went 5/25 from three, 14/20 from the foul line, 14 turnovers and give up 10 offensive boards. The math tells you you're not going to win a game, we have to be better and our execution down the stretch is something we have to be better at.

"We're last in the league in rebounding and we have to put a body on somebody, hit somebody and get physical. We're not doing that, we just stand around and watch. The guys know it and we talk about it, and they have to go out and execute."

GAME INFO

Who: Brisbane Bullets vs Perth Wildcats

Tip off: 3:30pm (AEST), Sunday 14 December, 2025

Where: Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Tickets: Available Here

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