Preview: Sydney vs Brisbane - Round 7, NBL24

Friday, November 10, 2023

The Bullets have turned their season around, but can the Kings hold down home court advantage?

Sunday, November 12 at 4pm AEDT | Qudos Bank Arena

Live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play - International viewership details
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Anoverview

Sydney sits second on the ladder after a their tight win against New Zealand pushed them above South East Melbourne to end Round 6.

Brisbane ended a run of four games in nine days with a two-point defeat to Tasmania to go 3-1 over the period, following a run of four straight defeats.

Bullets head coach Justin Schueller said Shannon Scott is progressing well in his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury, and believes his side is a different prospect than the one the Kings defeated in Round 3.

Kings forward Kouat Noi declared the Best Sixth Man Award is “in my pocket” after a strong start to the season.

Sydney
87-85 win over New Zealand
103-83 win over Illawarra
80-87 loss to Cairns

Brisbane
85-87 loss to Tasmania
108-92 win over South East Melbourne
90-87 win over Tasmania

Angus Glover
After his heroics to help lead Sydney to its second title in two seasons in NBL23, Angus Glover has struggled to rekindle that form to open the new season, but head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah has banked the 100-game player to turn his season around, following a good run against New Zealand last week.

Glover has shot a career-low 35 per cent from the field and 22.6 per cent from three to open this season, and is yet to register a double-digit scoring game as he searches for his role in a stacked Kings backcourt.

Form is only temporary though, and the Sydney fan-favourite has runs on the board after playing so well from the bench in last season’s Championship Series, that he was considered to be in the running for the Larry Sengstock Trophy.

He scored nine points and hit three of five threes against the Breakers last week. Is that the early sign of the Glover we all know and appreciate coming back in NBL24?

“I think it’s definitely going to turn for him right now, just the confidence he was playing with. You could see in the shots he took and the way he was carrying himself on both ends of the floor. This was the most vocal I heard him all season, defensively he was there and he was active ... the way he was getting up and down the floor and stepping into his shots – I think we’re going to see Mr 45 per cent here over the next couple of weeks.” – Mahmoud Abdelfattah on Angus Glover following the win over New Zealand.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The hoops gods were shining on Angus Glover for this made three ?<br><br>Catch the final quarter live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10play ? <a href="https://t.co/iKKA585OrB">pic.twitter.com/iKKA585OrB</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1710910385153343898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Josh Bannan
What an emergence it’s been for Josh Bannan over the past few weeks. He’s gone from injured unknown to genuine young star of this league in the space of four games, and has hammered home exactly why he was seen as such a crucial cog in Justin Schueller’s new-look Brisbane side.

It’s no surprise that of Bannan’s five games in the season so far, the two losses have come in his two worst performances. He scored just two points in his return game against South East Melbourne, and just eight in the two-point loss to Tasmania.

In the other three he’s had a pair of double-doubles against Tasmania and South East Melbourne, and registered 15 points in the win over Perth.

Whenever he speaks you can tell Bannan is absolutely in no way short on self-belief, but that strong will is perfectly balanced by an awareness that he is not the finished article and the desire to continue to improve his own game for the benefit of the team.

DJ Hogg will represent a different type of opponent on both ends of the floor for the former Montana Grizzly, but if his season so far is anything to go by, Bannan will rise to it.

“It’s only the start of his journey. There’s still some rust in his game from the five games out and he’s just so hungry to keep getting better and better. That’s what we see daily and we’re excited to see where he’ll go.” – Justin Schueller on Josh Bannan mid-week.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Could Josh Bannan be right at the top of the Next Gen class? ?‍?<br><br>The Brisbane forward starred in last night's win over South East Melbourne. Just how high can this kid fly? ?<br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/gHukVfRvbc">https://t.co/gHukVfRvbc</a> <a href="https://t.co/sjVj5ZmtG0">pic.twitter.com/sjVj5ZmtG0</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1720242955955658934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jordan Hunter vs Tyrell Harrison
Last time these two teams met, it was neither of the starting centers that proved the biggest difference-makers in the post for their sides. For Brisbane it was DJ Mitchell with 16 points, for Sydney it was Jonah Bolden with 12 points and 12 boards.

That being said, both Jordan Hunter and Tyrell Harrison are in the midst of pulling together career-best seasons after spending much of their early days in the NBL as backup options, and both are keeping former NBA players and Boomers representatives in Bolden and Aron Baynes out of the starting lineup – which is a feat that should not be understated.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jordi Hunter is raising the roof ?<br><br>Watch live and FREE on Kayo Freebies / 10 Peach & 10 Play ? <a href="https://t.co/fwDviI9zee">pic.twitter.com/fwDviI9zee</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1713439614877552766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hunter was nominated as the NBL’s Most Improved Player in NBL21 and, as it stands, Harrison is looking well on track to receive the same honour this season.

While both can step out and shoot from range, the pair definitely do their best work inside and on the glass. Hunter is one of the most talented and natural rebounders in the NBL, but Harrison’s hulking 214-centimetre frame makes him a difficult prospect for the biggest and the best players in the league.

Both players are entering this clash at the top of their games, and after the injury histories they’ve both experienced to get to this point, it’s great for NBL fans to see them both thriving.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TYRELL HARRISON HAS A VENDETTA AGAINST THIS RING ?<br><br>Catch the final moments live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/o0myovcF0G">pic.twitter.com/o0myovcF0G</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1717880481813848351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sydney has won its last nine games against Brisbane at Qudos Bank Arena. The last time the Bullets won in the arena is Round 9, NBL18, where 19 points and six assists from Travis Trice took Brisbane to an eight-point win over the Jeremy Tyler-led Kings.

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Travis Trice playing against the Sydney Kings in 2018.