AGAINST his former side, veteran guard Nathan Sobey continued his rich run of form to lead the SEM Phoenix to a massive 23-point win over the Brisbane Bullets in Round 6 of the National Basketball League (NBL) season

The Phoenix have been quietly going about their business throughout the 2025/26 season to date, with Sobey’s starring form of late playing a key role in the team sitting in the top four after the early stages of the fixture. They travelled north to take on the Bullets at Nissan Arena on Saturday afternoon, with the home side in need of a win after an inconsistent start to the season.

The Phoenix managed to edge their noses in front by the time the buzzer sounded to mark the main change, taking a seven-point buffer into half time, although the Bullets were certainly up for the fight. However, South East Melbourne dropped a whopping 37 points in a third quarter blitz that blew the game wide open. Although the Bullets evened up the ledger in the final frame, the damage was already done as the visitors cruised home to victory.

One of the form players of the competition of late, Sobey justified those claims with another massive showing against the Bullets, taking over on the offensive end and showing why the Phoenix are a sneaky threat to the title this season.

Brisbane Bullets (86) def. by South East Melbourne Phoenix (109)

Nathan Sobey – 29 points, two rebounds, four assists, three steals

The former Brisbane Bullets captain was in fine form against his former team, almost dropping another 30 points in a powerful performance to show that he is still one of the most dangerous players in the competition.

He hit the scoreboard in the first couple of minutes of the match, using his handles to create separation from the defender and nail the stepback three-pointer. Sobey then showed aggression with ball in hand with a nice driving layup in transition shortly after, before kicking the ball out to John Brown III for his first dime less than a minute later, leading the Phoenix to a slim lead at the first change.

The veteran opened the second quarter as he did the first, knocking down his second stepback triple of the match, although the Bullets had begun to snatch some momentum. However, Sobey had a crucial patch of play where he knocked down the midrange shot, stole the ball from the opposition on the next play, and found Hunter Maldonado for the three-pointer to help South East Melbourne retake the lead.

Sobey even showed his hops at 35 years of age, throwing down a rare two-handed dunk that shot some energy into his team on the eve of half time, with his impressive offensive play helping the Phoenix to a handy buffer at the main change.

As expected, Sobey was right in the thick of the action as the Phoenix broke the game open in the third quarter, knocking down a pair of three-pointers as South East Melbourne went on a game-defining run after half time. He also showed his willingness to finish through traffic with an aggressive drive to the rim that resulted in a tough layup.

The guard slammed the door shut early in the fourth quarter, nailing yet another long range bomb and a physical layup that sucked all of the air out of Nissan Arena. He rounded out his performance with a pair of free throws, before finishing the game on the bench having led the Phoenix to another win on the back of his offensive production.

Sobey finished the contest with 29 points on 10/22 shooting from the field, 5/10 shooting from behind the arc and 4/6 shooting from the free throw line in another huge performance. He is arguably the form player of the NBL as it stands, and if he keeps leading the Phoenix to wins, could be a sneaky chance for MVP at the end of the season.