ANOTHER round of the National Basketball League (NBL) has kicked off, with the Brisbane Bullets taking on the Sydney Kings at Nissan Arena on Friday night. The match was difficult to predict, given the two sides have played different amounts of basketball in recent weeks. It ended up being one of the most entertaining matches of the season, with some high scoring action from both sides throughout the contest. The Kings looked like they were on their way to a big win in the first half, storming out of the gates to take quite a lead early in the match. However, the Bullets were clinical in the fourth term, putting on a show for their home crowd and delivering a massive fightback to close out the match and claim an impressive victory, 96-87.

FIRST QUARTER

The Kings could not have started the match in better fashion, bursting away from their opponents early on. The two sides traded baskets in the opening couple of minutes, before the visitors went on a 17-0 run to seriously gain the upper hand on the Bullets early on. Their offence appeared to be flowing magnificently, with all players on the same page most possessions. The Bullets were finally able to get on the board later in the quarter, but still trailed by a considerable margin of 16 points by the time the first break rolled around.

SECOND QUARTER

The second period saw the Kings unable to maintain their high scoring ways of the first term. The Bullets were able to clamp up their opponents on the defensive end, and stop the bleeding in a big way. This time also saw the turning point of the match, with Sydney Kings skipper Xavier Cooks ejected from the match due to some ill-discipline. He was +17 in his 10 minutes on the court, and it was evident to see the momentum swing once he left the match. From there, the Bullets were able to trim the margin back to nine points at half-time, finding themselves with a sniff heading into the second half.

THIRD QUARTER

The third period saw the high scoring ways of the Kings return, only this time it was matched by their opponents, with the Bullets getting their own offensive rhythm going in these 10 minutes. It was a back-and-forth affair, with Sydney unable to extend the lead but the Bullets also not able to make up much ground themselves. It wasn’t until the Bullets found a crucial three-pointer from star guard Nathan Sobey that things finally changed. This shot came on the eve of three-quarter time, where the margin was reduced to just seven points with 10 minutes to play.

FOURTH QUARTER

The final term was as good a period as the Bullets could ask for, electrifying the Nissan Arena crowd in the opening minutes. They started the quarter on an 8-0 run to shockingly take the lead, with the Kings unable to answer up the other end as their offence stalled. Following this surge, the Bullets patiently extended their lead over the next few minutes, with Sydney still not finding a basket. The lead eventually got out to double-digits thanks to some handy ball movement from the home side. The Kings could not produce an answer to this blitz, eventually falling to the tune of nine points.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

There were plenty of impressive contributors for both sides throughout the match, but there were none more so than Bullets veteran Sobey, who was incredibly crucial in his side’s win. He poured in a team-high 30 points (including seven shots from behind the arc) and six assists in an inspirational performance. He was well-aided by teammates Jason Cadee (18 points) and Robert Franks (16 points and 11 rebounds), both of whom were vital in the last term. Despite the loss, the Kings cannot be disappointed with the efforts of Jaylen Adams (33 points) and Dejan Vasiljevic (21 points), with the pair fighting right to the final buzzer.