Preview: NBL26 R9 Away v Melbourne United

Brisbane Bullets coach Stu Lash has liked his team's ability to bounce back and deal with adversity so far in NBL26, and that's why he is still confident of a strong showing against the league-leading Melbourne United on Saturday.

It's quite the challenge ahead of the Bullets when they take on the top-of-the-table United at John Cain Arena on Saturday, but history suggests a strong bounce back performance is in order.

The Bullets had a night to forget at the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre back on Wednesday night with the 29-point defeat to the New Zealand Breakers.

That loss was made significantly worse when superstar forward Casey Prather injured his knee early in the fourth quarter. He has since undergone surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Considering he might very well have been in the best form of his NBL career, which is saying something as a three-time championship winner who has made both All-First and All-Second teams, his 24.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.7 a game is going to be mighty tough to cover.

The dramatic week has continued with the release before the Bullets headed for Melbourne of former league MVP and import point guard Jaylen Adams.

That means that from Wednesday night's game on the Gold Coast to Saturday's clash in Melbourne with United, Prather and Adams are out for the Bullets while their place will be taken by Lamar Patterson and Lachlan Anderson.

It's obviously a significant challenge for the Bullets just in terms of personnel with just the two imports available to play against Melbourne with one of those the Nominated Replacement Player with Tohi Smith-Milner and Sam McDaniel still unavailable.

Throw in that Wednesday night's game was a tough one too with the 29-point loss and there's a lot for the Bullets to process ahead of taking on the league's top team.

However, what will give coach Lash some comfort heading into the game is the way the Bullets have continued to deal with adversity so far this season and shown a strong sense of resilience.

Brisbane have had some tough losses so far this season, but responded well each time including bouncing back from a 27-point loss in Wollongong to the Illawarra Hawks by beating the Wildcats in Perth with a brilliant showing four days later.

Then following a 23-point loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the Bullets hit back with a dominant 28-point home Sunshine Stoush win against the Cairns Taipans just five days after that.

Then again following a big loss at home to the Sydney Kings on November 1, a week later the Bullets hit the road to beat the Tasmania JackJumpers.

So their best performances so far this season have all come after their most disappointing losses which means despite the odds appearing stacked against them ahead of taking on Melbourne, there is reason to expect a strong response.

After all, it's a Bullets team still with strong leadership with Mitch Norton, exciting young talent with Taine Murray, Alex Ducas, Tristan Devers and Jacob Holt, a powerful inside presence with Tyrell Harrison, and talented imports Patterson and Dakota Mathias.

Lash is fully aware of the challenge ahead against a Melbourne team in top spot at 10-2 and featuring the likes of Chris Goulding, Tyson Walker, Finn Delany, Jesse Edwards, Dash Daniels, Milton Doyle and potentially Shea Ili if he returns.

At the same time, he is backing the Bullets to pull together with their backs to the wall and produce a strong showing.

"The one thing this group has done consistently is bounce back like when we face adversity or our backs are up against the wall, we have responded well," Lash said.

"They hold themselves accountable and I hold myself accountable, and we as a coaching staff own this as much as the players.

"We'll be ready to play on Saturday."

GAME INFO

Who: Brisbane Bullets vs Melbourne United

Tip off: 4:30pm (AEST), Saturday 15 November, 2025

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Watch: ESPN via Foxtel, Disney+, Kayo and Fetch