ROUND 12 of the National Basketball League (NBL) kicked off on Thursday night, and it was the Tasmania JackJumpers and Brisbane Bullets who emerged victorious in an exciting double-header.

With seven games on the horizon for the round, there were two different styles of game that took place on Thursday, with the JackJumpers blowing out the New Zealand Breakers while the Bullets got the job done in a tense match against the SEM Phoenix.

It all kicked off at Eventfinda Stadium on Thursday evening, where the JackJumpers were travelling to face off against the Breakers. Both teams had produced extremely contrasting form over the past few weeks, with New Zealand sliding down the standings while the reigning champions had finally found their rhythm after a slow start to the season.

That form carried over into the match, with the JackJumpers recording a dominant 24-point win to move into the top six for the time being. It was their best offensive showing of NBL25, and notched five wins in a row.

Tasmania was in control of the match from the get-go, and looked comfortable for all four quarters, leading by as much as 26 points to keep its good run of form going. The visitors shot 53 per cent from the field, and survived a below-par shooting night from the free throw line (20/31 FT).

The star of the show was Jordan Crawford, who came off the bench again after returning from injury in recent weeks, and dominated the first half, pouring in 22 of his 24 points in the first half to ensure the JackJumpers were on top.

Fellow guard Sean Macdonald was excellent with 17 points, while big man Will Magnay did a bit of everything to finish with six points, six rebounds, eight assists and a block in another strong outing for one of the NBL’s best defenders.

For the Breakers, new recruit Tacko Fall produced his best performance in a New Zealand uniform, top-scoring for his side with 16 points (which included two rim-rattling dunks) along with four rebounds in an encouraging performance.

The action continued at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with the Bullets producing an excellent second-half comeback to defeat the Phoenix by eight points on Thursday night.

Both teams entered the game in excellent form and it was shaping as a cracking contest, which it proved to be. The Phoenix had turned things around since the coaching change earlier in the season, while the Bullets were looking to make it three in a row having changed to play at a much more frenetic pace in recent weeks.

South East Melbourne got off to a hot start, leading by eight points at the first change before extending that margin out to 11 at half time and 15 early in the third quarter. However, the Bullets flicked a switch to close out the third quarter, and led by five points early in the fourth. A flurry of late triples helped seal the 116-108 triumph and continue Brisbane’s resurgence.

For the Bullets, Keandre Cook top-scored with 33 points on 9/14 shooting from the field and 5/8 shooting from behind the arc. He had some massive baskets down the stretch and played a big part in getting Brisbane over the line.

Also impressing was big man Tyrell Harrison continued his strong run of form since returning from injury last week, posting another huge double-double of 23 points (10/13 FG) and 12 rebounds to further demonstrate his importance to the team.

For the Phoenix, Matt Hurt was impressive once again with 27 points and five rebounds (four offensive), while Nathan Sobey (25 points, five assists) and Angus Glover (20 points, seven assists) performed strongly despite the result.