TWO SIDES looking to move up the standings will lock horns in the National Basketball League (NBL) Ignite Cup on Wednesday night, as the New Zealand Breakers travel across the Tasman to take on the Brisbane Bullets.

The two sides have struggled to truly make their mark throughout the 2025/26 season to date despite some competitive performances, and tonight’s encounter offers the chance to secure an important win and move closer towards the top four in the standings.

Although the Bullets are in better form fresh off a gutsy win on the road, the Breakers have shown the ability to get the job done in enemy territory as well, and these teams have enjoyed some classic encounters in recent weeks so this could go down to the wire.

Brisbane Bullets vs. New Zealand Breakers

Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre
Wednesday, November 12 @ 7:30pm

The Bullets clutched up down the stretch in their clash against the Tasmania JackJumpers last weekend, holding off a fast finish from the hosts to claim a two-point win at MyState Bank Arena on Saturday evening. It is always a gutsy performance to defeat the JackJumpers in their home state, but the Bullets showed plenty of resilience in the closing stages of the match and walked away with the win.

If the Bullets are to make a charge up the ladder, they will need to put together a string of wins, and following their victory against the JackJumpers, tonight presents the perfect opportunity to create a winning streak. Although they will not be on their true home deck at Nissan Arena, there should be plenty of Bullets fans supporting their team.

An MVP candidate who is somewhat flying under the radar over the first couple of months of play has been Casey Prather, with the import guard putting up arguably a career-best season with the Bullets so far and proving vital to the team’s chances of success. He is currently averaging 24.3 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 49 per cent from the field, and will be important tonight.

The Breakers unfortunately suffered a pair of tight losses last weekend, despite putting up strong performances against contending sides in the Adelaide 36ers and Sydney Kings over the span of a few days, losing no supporters but not quite being able to get the job done against some of the heavyweights of the competition.

It showed that although they are around the mark, the Breakers simply lacked the polish to deliver down the stretch with the game on the line, often forcing tough shots in the clutch. They will be looking to amend that against the Bullets on the Gold Coast tonight, and if the game does go down to the wire, look for more composure from the visiting side.

One of the shining lights for the Breakers this season has been the performance of Sam Mennenga, who is undoubtedly one of the competition’s most improved players this year. He will certainly have his hands full when he takes on an in-form Tyrell Harrison, but Mennenga has performed strongly against star opponents previously, and could unlock a victory for New Zealand with frontcourt dominance.