IN ANOTHER National Basketball League (NBL) clash that went right down to the wire, the Brisbane Bullets managed to deliver down the stretch to defeat the Tasmania JackJumpers by two points over the weekend.

The home side came into Saturday evening’s clash at MyState Bank Arena on a three-game losing streak, desperate to get back on the winners’ list after sliding down the standings over recent weeks. They were facing a Bullets side who had shown strong performances over the first couple of months, but lacked consistency, although they were due for their next win.

The Bullets were the better team for most of the match, leading by double-digits in the second half and holding off a strong finish from the JackJumpers to get the job done and move up to seventh spot in the standings, while Tasmania recorded its fourth consecutive loss.

Tasmania JackJumpers (81) def. by Brisbane Bullets (83)

It was a promising start from the JackJumpers, who had struggled with their offensive production a lot coming into this clash, but dropped 23 points in the first 10 minutes to continue their strong work from Thursday night’s close loss at the hands of the SEM Phoenix. They led the Bullets by four points at the opening change and looked dangerous on the scoring front.

Brisbane snatched control of proceedings after quarter time, largely behind the efforts of Casey Prather and Tyrell Harrison, with the duo becoming prominent figures within the match. Tasmania’s typically stingy defence began to leak points, and at the main break, it was the Bullets who had flipped their quarter time deficit into a three-point lead.

That momentum continued into the third quarter as the JackJumpers turned the ball over and allowed Harrison to throw down the dunk and keep the Bullets rolling. Brisbane managed to storm out to a 14-point lead on the back of a Prather three-pointer, and although the home side fought back, they still trailed by nine with a quarter to play.

The JackJumpers got the match back on their terms in the final 10 minutes, making the game a scrappy contest, which took away Brisbane’s potent offence. Tasmania fought its way back to a tied match, with Ben Ayre knocking down a big shot. However, Prather was able to drive into the lane and finish at the cup to help the Bullets retake the lead, and for the second time in as many matches, the JackJumpers could not respond as time expired.

Prather was immense, not only in the final stages, but for the entire match, posting a game-high 28 points on 11/22 shooting to go with his eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. He formed an impressive tandem with Harrison, who got the better of his matchup with Will Magnay, dropping 21 points and nine rebounds in a powerful performance.

For the JackJumpers, former Bullet Josh Bannan produced a typically gutsy performance against his former side. The forward has been impressive since joining Tasmania over the offseason, and delivered a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 50 per cent from the field to try and drag the home side to victory.