Bullets Stun Phoenix to Snap Losing Slide

Just five days after a horror show at home to Sydney, the Brisbane Bullets have delivered what could be a savage blow to the playoff aspirations of the South East Melbourne Phoenix with an 84-79 win full of heart in Melbourne on Monday.

Having lost to the Kings by 49 points on Wednesday before an improved showing yet still a 10-point loss to Melbourne on Saturday, the Bullets found themselves down five early in the fourth quarter at the State Basketball Centre.

The Phoenix were playing their first game in eight days and needing a win to snap a four-game losing run and to stay inside the top six so had it all to play for.

However, Brisbane would score the game's next 12 points and then turned up the pressure on the Phoenix with the home team unable to respond as the Bullets held firm for the five-point win.

It's Brisbane's sixth win of the season and first since beating Perth in overtime on December 27.

The Phoenix have lost five straight and are outside the top six with Melbourne United leapfrogging them as they slip to 12-12 with four games to go all against playoff contenders.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JASON CADEE ?<br><br>Catch the fourth quarter action live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel ? <a href="https://t.co/Ow3iaL9XBg">pic.twitter.com/Ow3iaL9XBg</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1614933587090100229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jason Cadee put up 18 points in the first half to help the Bullets lead by seven at the break on his way to a season-best 28 for the game with four rebounds and three assists.

Nathan Sobey added 15 points, DJ Mitchell 10 to go with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Tyrell Harrison nine points, and Tyler Johnson eight. Aron Baynes had just four points and three rebounds and didn’t reappear after collecting his fourth foul in the third quarter.

Bullets coach Greg Vanderjagt couldn’t have been prouder with the performance from his group.

"I'm really proud of the group in terms of how we responded to getting our butts kicked by Sydney five days ago," Vanderjagt said. 

"We played well against Melbourne United for three quarters and then we come in and get a win here against what I think is a really good basketball team, who is very talented and trying to make the playoffs. 

"I'm very proud of the group and in particular our role players, like H (Harry Froling) stood up huge for us and gave great minutes off the bench. Tyrell I thought was really good, Jase Cadee obviously with 28 and when we needed energy we got it from the right places. 

"I'm really happy for the group to get that win and grind it out against a really good team through a bit of adversity. We got our butts kicked on the boards and they shot a lot of free-throws, but they went 4/24 from three so we did a good job defending that and sticking to the game plan."

It's going to be a bitter loss for the Phoenix to swallow with Alan Williams finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds, Mitch Creek 17 points and 13 boards, Gary Browne 12 points and six assists, and Trey Kell III 10 points and four rebounds.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell pointed to his team's second quarter defence for what cost them on a night where they had 23 more rebounds including 24 offensive boards to six while attempting 11 extra field goals and 36 free-throws to 25.

"There was a number of areas you would say it was lost," Mitchell said. 

"Firstly our second quarter defence was pretty poor and I thought we got hit on way too many screens, gave them way too many open looks and that was disappointing. 

"But we came back from that and I thought we put together two reasonably quarters defensively in the third and fourth, we just had an incredibly bad shooting night. 

"We were 4/24 from behind the arc, we missed nine at the free-throw line and in general we just had a lot of shots around the rim that we didn’t knock down. 

"Those are the nights where your defence has to be really solid for four quarters and we let up in that second quarter, and that's why we came away with a loss."

It was a first quarter made up of runs from both teams and the first came courtesy of the Phoenix. Returning pair Gary Browne and Trey Kell III combined for six straight points. When Kell hit a three soon after, and Mitch Creek scored inside, they were up 13-7.

The Bullets immediately responded with the next seven points with Alan Williams sitting early for South East Melbourne after an offensive foul and then a tech.

That 7-0 run saw Brisbane grab the lead, but it was only brief with the Phoenix hitting the next seven points themselves including a three ball from Browne before going into quarter-time up 24-18 having pulled down 15 rebounds to seven.

The Phoenix stretched their lead out to nine to start the second quarter and the margin was still eight when Williams scored down low, but it was the Bullets who took control for the rest of the half.

Tyrell Harrison and Nathan Sobey both completed three-point plays, Jason Cadee got an and-one too and then he closed the half with a three-point bomb on the buzzer to have 18 points himself going into the break.

Brisbane put up 30 points to 17 for the quarter, their best of the season, and put the onus back on the Phoenix to respond with the 48-41 lead.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Absolutely tough from Creek and 1???<br><br>? <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Foxtel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Foxtel</a> <a href="https://t.co/PgbhMlTMHB">pic.twitter.com/PgbhMlTMHB</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1614912644259155969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It took just over four minutes into the third quarter for the Phoenix to draw a fourth foul on Aron Baynes to see him sit for Brisbane, and they worked their way back on top.

South East Melbourne scored 11 of the second half's first 13 points and it was a 7-0 run topped off with a Ryan Broekhoff three ball and Williams finish to grab the lead as Greg Vanderjagt called for time.

The Phoenix maintained that two-point lead by three quarter-time having outscored the Bullets 22 points to 13. They were then up five early in the fourth to appear in control, but it wasn’t the case.

DJ Mitchell hit a three for Brisbane, Harry Froling scored all too easily rolling to the basket, and then Tyler Johnson forced the backcourt turnover on Browne with Simon Mitchell no choice but to go to a timeout.

Straight out of that, Froling found Sobey for another all too easy basket and Brisbane was back up two with just over seven minutes on the clock. Sobey drained a deep, deep three and the Bullets' lead grew to five and the tension on the Phoenix was mounting.

South East Melbourne stopped the 12-0 Brisbane run with a pair of free-throws from Owen Foxwell with five to play. Four at the line from Williams brought it back to one with the Phoenix in the bonus but again Brisbane steadied.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">All the way from the <a href="https://twitter.com/ChemistWhouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChemistWhouse</a> logo ??<br><br>Catch the fourth quarter action live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel. ? <a href="https://t.co/jAawW38seP">pic.twitter.com/jAawW38seP</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1614930773077004288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Harrison scored inside to put them back up five and eventually in the final minute Creek missed two good looks at the three, and Broekhoff missed another allowing the Bullets to secure the stunning upset.

The Phoenix now have a quick turnaround to play the Tasmania JackJumpers in a critical clash in Launceston on Wednesday. 

The Bullets are back home to host the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday night.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 15

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 79 (Williams 19, Creek 17, Browne 12)

BRISBANE BULLETS 84 (Cadee 28, Sobey 15, Mitchell 10) 

BOX SCORE