Preview: Round 8 vs Sydney Kings

The Brisbane Bullets have a chance to record consecutives wins for the first time this season when they take on the Sydney Kings tonight.

Last time out, a history-making first quarter helped spur the Bullets on to a convincing 100-84 win over South East Melbourne Phoenix in front of a vocal Brisbane crowd. The 25-point difference at quarter time was their biggest lead at that stage of a game in the teams NBL history.

It was an exceptional team performance from Brisbane, as 11 different players made their mark on the scoresheet. Each member of the starting five also finished in double figures for points scored last weekend, Nathan Sobey leading the way with 18.

Taking the floor at Nissan Arena again tonight, the Bullets will want fans to bring the noise once again in what promises to be another crucial test for the team.

While Brisbane are currently sixth on the ladder, their three wins this season have all come against teams who are currently in the top four. As they continue to push for one of those spots on the ladder for their own, a win over the Kings could be crucial.

Having lost three games on the bounce, Sydney will be eager to return to winning ways before they host the Bullets on Sunday.

 

Match Details

Tip-off: Friday, January 21 at 6:30pm AEST

Venue: Nissan Arena

Broadcast: Live on ESPN via Kayo or Foxtel

Tickets: Available via Ticketek

 

Tale of the Tape

The rivalry between the Bullets and Kings has a decorated history, with the two teams having met 83 times.

Historically, the Kings have the advantage in the head-to-head with 47 wins, and they’ve also won three of the last five meetings between the clubs.

Against the Kings, the Bullets have well and truly made Nissan Arena a fortress. In the last three meetings between the two sides at the venue, the Bullets have gone 3-0.

The last game between the two sides in Brisbane finished 93-70, with Anthony Drmic scoring 28 of the Bullets’ points.

A few weeks after that meeting, the Kings did get their revenge by beating the Bullets 83-82 at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena in NBL21.

 

Recent Form

Bullets: W-L-W-L-W

Kings: W-W-L-L-L

Brisbane returned to winning ways last weekend with an emphatic 16-point win over South East Melbourne Phoenix. A 31-6 first quarter had the Bullets well and truly in control of the game early on, and they didn’t drop off throughout the other three quarters either.

It was an important win for Brisbane who had lost to the New Zealand Breakers the weekend before. Now with a 3-3 record, the Bullets have the chance to improve their record in the final of a four-game stretch at home.

However, Brisbane are currently the only team in the NBL who hasn’t won consecutive games in NBL22.

In the three games at Nissan Arena so far in NBL22, the Bullets have averaged 89 points per game. In comparison, the Kings average 76.1 points per game across the season – the lowest scoring average in the League.

The Kings are currently on a three-game losing streak, which matches their worst losing run of last season. They’ll be looking to avoid some unwanted history on Friday night, as the last time the Kings lost four in a row was 125 games ago, dating back to November 2017.

In those consecutive losses this year, no Kings bench player has scored a field goal in the three final quarters of those games. The team has also been outscored by a total of 30-points in those three final quarters.

 

Milestones

Last weekend, Jason Cadee became the third player in NBL history to have played 100 games for both the Brisbane Bullets and Sydney Kings. Before joining the Bullets, he played 112 games for the Kings.

Cadee has the chance to make history against his former side, currently just three three-pointers away from reaching 500 3PM in his NBL career. He’s also two 3PM away from becoming the 11^th Bullets player to score 200 three-pointers for the team.

After scoring his 300^th NBL three-pointer last weekend, Nathan Sobey also has the chance to make more history this Friday. The 31-year-old is four assists away from his 300^th with the Bullets.

Head coach James Duncan is set to face his former club for the first time. Duncan was an assistant coach at the Sydney Kings for two seasons before joining the Bullets for NBL22.

 

Players to Watch

Nathan Sobey – Brisbane Bullets

Sobey has been one of the standouts for the Bullets so far this season, having started every game alongside the same four players in every match. He’s averaging 16.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while defensively stifling his opposition.

While he hasn’t been able to make his usual impact from deep in front of Bullets fans in NBL22 – currently 4-from-20 from beyond the arc at Nissan Arena– history suggests that tonight might just be ‘Sobes’ night.

Sobey finished second in scoring last season, averaging 21.1 points per game. This included an average of 26.6 points per game against the Kings, including a career-high 35-points during the NBL Cup, and 31-points in Sydney.

Sobey averaged more points against the Kings compared to any other player, with Wildcats star Bryce Cotton just behind (26.0 points per game).

Jarell Martin – Sydney Kings

Sydney Kings forward Jarell Martin is ranked inside the NBL’s top 20 for points scored per game, averaging a team-high 14.88 this season. He was also one of three Kings’ player who averaged more than 15-points a game last season, leading the team with 17.9 per game in NBL21.

Twice this season, Martin has scored more than 20-points. Firstly against the JackJumpers in December (24) and again against Illawarra last week (23).

However, one arena where 27-year-old has well and truly made his mark has been in rebounding, currently averaging 9.13 per game. In half of his games this season, Martin has had 10 or more rebounds.

With NBA experience as well, the American is definitely a player to watch out for on Friday night.