36ers end rut with win over Bullets

The Adelaide 36ers have overcome a Nathan Sobey masterclass and a late scare to break their four-match losing streak with a 95-88 victory over the Brisbane Bullets.

Tokyo Olympian Sobey poured in a career-high 36 points against his old side, single-handedly giving the Bullets a sniff of success at a sold-out Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Sunday.

Dejan Vasiljevic (23 points) top-scored for the Sixers for the seventh straight game, while imports Jacob Wiley (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Trey Kell (18 points) stood tall.

Wiley fired Adelaide to a 7-0 head start, forcing Bullets coach Justin Schueller to burn a time-out barely a minute into the contest.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 36ers get a dub for Christmas ?<br><br>Jacob Wiley was a highlight MACHINE - his double-double earns him the <a href="https://twitter.com/footlocker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@footlocker</a> Australia Player of the Game ? <a href="https://t.co/i7Vmdxql4p">pic.twitter.com/i7Vmdxql4p</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1738786901539389581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sobey drove Brisbane's response, scoring 12 first-quarter points to give the visitors the lead. before the Sixers recaptured the momentum to take a 27-23 advantage into quarter-time.

Vasiljevic started the second term with a pair of triples to stretch Adelaide's advantage to double digits.

After a quiet first half, Kell enjoyed a big third quarter to extend the 36ers' cushion to 11 points before a 7-0 Brisbane burst either side of the break trimmed the margin to four points.

Wiley piloted Adelaide back ahead by nine points in the fourth before Sobey and big Tyrell Harrison led another Bullets surge.

Harrison scored seven points - two dunks and a three-point play - in 37 seconds, sandwiching a missed dunk from Sixers centre Isaac Humphries and an errant layup from Kell, to suddenly tie the scores.

Adelaide had the final say, though, with three-point bombs from Vasiljevic and Kell combined with an unsportsmanlike foul on Brisbane forward Josh Bannan enough to see the home side prevail.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trey Kell! The ?????? ?<br><br>Watch live and free on ESPN2 via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play <a href="https://t.co/EmftGrj9dJ">pic.twitter.com/EmftGrj9dJ</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1738784681766588513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 12

ADELAIDE 36ERS 95 (Vasiljevic 23, Wiley 21, Kell 18)
BRISBANE BULLETS 88 (Sobey 36, McDaniel 16, Harrison 9)

BOX SCORE