Bullets close 2023 with strong home win

With another 35 points from captain Nathan Sobey and strong contibutions across the board the Brisbane Bullets are back on the NBL winner's list to close 2023 with Saturday night's 95-83 win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The Bullets had lost four straight coming into Saturday's last game for the calendar year at Nissan Arena, but an enthusiastic home crowd of 4208 greeted them and for most of the evening it was a strong performance on the way to the 12-point win.

Brisbane started tremendously with 32 points in the first quarter and led by as much as 16 during the second, but again the start to the second half wasn’t ideal and South East Melbourne worked back into the contest.

However, this time the Bullets were able to respond and it all started early in the fourth term when Gary Browne was ejected for lashing out to Brisbane big man Aron Baynes.

That turned the tide of the match in Brisbane's favour for good as they went on to win by 12 and head into 2024 on an 8-11 record with Casey Prather to still come into the line-up after suiting up, but not hitting the floor.

Just six days after his career best 36-point performance on Christmas Eve in Adelaide, Bullets captain Nathan Sobey was brilliant again finishing with 35 points, five rebounds and four assists on 14/27 shooting from the floor and 5/5 at the line.

There were plenty more impressive contributors too for the Bullets in the win including Josh Bannan with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Sam McDaniel put together 14 points and four rebounds, Mitch Norton 12 points and three assists, and Aron Baynes a crucial seven points and two rebounds in a 12-minute patch where the Bullets were plus-16.

Shannon Scott also ran things well for four points, seven assists and four steals with Chris Smith contributing two points and five rebounds, Tyrell Harrison two points and eight boards, and Rocco Zikarsky two points, a rebound and a block.

Matt Kenyon top-scored for the Phoenix with 14 points with Abdel Nader adding 13 points, Gary Browne 13 and Alan Williams 13 to go with 11 rebounds.

The Bullets made the perfect start when captain Nathan Sobey dunked just seconds after the tip before Josh Bannan gave Brisbane the 4-0 opening, and not long after Shannon Scott made it 6-2.

After the two teams exchanged the lead for the next several minutes, Brisbane pulled away again starting with five quick points from Aron Baynes to regain the lead for the Bullets.

Sobey then knocked down a three ball before Mitch Norton, Chris Smith and Sam McDaniel combined for an 11-2 run to finish the first quarter with Brisbane leading 32-23 by quarter-time on the back of shooting 58 per cent from the floor.

Sobey completed a four-point play to start the second frame too to push the lead out to 11 points, and it was 12 after an and-one as well from Bannan.

Scott and Bannan then combined for the next six points to push the Brisbane advantage to 16 points, and Bannan was enjoying the sagging defence on his way to 11 points for the half.

Sobey also went into the break after 19 points in the half and Brisbane was on top 57-42 thanks to shooting 54 per cent from the floor to just 37 from the Phoenix who also managed just 13/21 at the free-throw line.

South East Melbourne did start the third quarter strongly which isn’t what Brisbane was after giving the start to second halves problems of that, but the Phoenix came out to start the half scoring 12 of the opening 16 points.

Soon after the Phoenix had closed the gap to three, but Brisbane did well to steady and buckets just before three quarter-time to Sobey and McDaniel maintained a five-point edge for the Bullets.

Brisbane then started the fourth quarter well with baskets to McDaniel and Bannan to complete an 8-0 run to be back up nine before the game's drama unfolded.

Phoenix point guard Gary Browne had a brain fade landing a blow to the mid-section of Baynes which led to his ejection. Baynes made the subsequent free-throws and Brisbane turned that into a game defining 8-0 run.

Brisbane were soon back up by 12 and went on to secure the 12-point victory with a triple from Norton, another finish from him, a dunk from Bannan and finally an alley-oop finish from Rocco Zikarsky.

That snapped the losing run to close 2023 on a high and improve to an 8-11 record to be knocking on the door of sixth spot.

The Bullets will now bring in the New Year and the first game of 2024 will be next Sunday on the road to the defending champion Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena.

After that is a pair of home games firstly against the Tasmania JackJumpers at Nissan Arena on Wednesday January 10 before also hosting the Illawarra Hawks four days later.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 13

BRISBANE BULLETS 95 (Sobey 35, Bannan 17, McDaniel 14)

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 83 (Kenyon 14, Nader 13, Browne 13, Williams 13)

BOX SCORE