ROUND 5 of the National Basketball League (NBL) season kicked off with a bang on Thursday night, with the Brisbane Bullets extended their winning streak by defeating the SEM Phoenix by 16 points at Nissan Arena.

Both sides came into the match on winning streaks, having delivered strong performances in Round 5 and climbed up the rankings as a result. The Phoenix had climbed to second spot in the standings, while the Bullets had moved past a form slump to knock off some quality opposition last weekend, so this game loomed as a test of which side had truly taken the next step. Although the Phoenix had the more star-studded roster, the inclusion of Aron Baynes was going to be huge for the Bullets.

In a contest that saw plenty of fouls called, it was Brisbane that struck first. After a tight first quarter that saw two fouls to key pieces in Josh Bannan and Nathan Sobey, the Bullets took control of the second quarter, outscoring the Phoenix 33-19 to take a significant lead into the main break. Although the Phoenix rallied behind Gary Browne‘s magic, it was not enough. In a game where both sides lived at the free throw line, Brisbane (30/35) simply made the Phoenix (27/42) pay more at the charity stripe.

The Bullets will be thrilled by not only the result, but the performance of Bannan as well, who continued his strong stretch of form at the power forward position.

Brisbane Bullets (108) def. SEM Phoenix (92)

Josh Bannan – 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists

Since coming into the starting lineup at the four, Bannan has emerged as one of the brightest young Australian basketballers in the NBL. After spending time in the NCAAM as a member of the Montana Grizzlies, the forward returned to his home country as a member of Brisbane’s team, and Thursday’s performance showed just what he is capable of.

In a balanced team performance, Bannan was the standout, producing a team-high 17 points on 6/10 shooting from the field. His offensive arsenal is extremely versatile, able to knock down a shot from all three levels.

Despite doing most of his damage in the paint, Bannan splashed home a three-pointer to showcase his scoring depth. It appeared he was a fan of the shot too, signalling three fingers to the crowd to celebrate a strong performance from the youngster.

He is also a talented rebounder, pulling down 11 for the match, with seven of those coming on the offensive end. Although a chunk of these came in rapid succession, as he chased down the loose ball after each of his misses in the fourth quarter, it was an excellent play that demonstrated how willing he is to get first hands on the ball and find the bottom of the net, no matter how crowded the paint is.

Bannan was the star of the show, combining extremely well with Baynes to control the paint, and looms as a star of the future. He has played a massive role in Brisbane winning its last three games, performing strongly in all contests, and is now an integral factor in the team’s success.