IT IS a pretty good time to be a fan of the National Basketball League (NBL)’s newest side. The Tasmania JackJumpers have impressed throughout the 2021/22 season, and the trend continued on Saturday evening when they took on the Brisbane Bullets at Nissan Arena. While the JackJumpers entered the contest as the favoured side, there were still doubts given their lack of experience, while the Bullets have shown some promising signs throughout their campaign. Fans who attended the match were treated to a cracking match that went down to the wire, with the JackJumpers claiming the win by just two points.

Tasmania has continued to impress the competition in its debut season, racking up another win and keeping in contention for an unlikely appearance in the top four come season’s end. Both sides were coming off dramatic wins earlier in the round, and there were questions as to who could back this up a few days later. In the end, it was the JackJumpers that proved too clutch for the Bullets, sinking some big free throws late in the game and getting their 12th win of the season.

Tasmania got off to the ideal, bursting out of the gates to claim an early lead. The JackJumpers were fantastic on both ends of the court, holding their opponents to a score of just 16 points in the first as they took an eight-point lead into quarter time. From here, the Bullets were able to finally get their offence back on track, pulling themselves back into the contest in the second to make it a three point game at the main break. This set up a thrilling finish where the Bullets fell just short off pulling off the comeback as the JackJumpers held on for a fantastic win.

For the victors, it was a number of contributors that set up the win, with four players scoring 12 points or more. Jack McVeigh and Josh Magette poured in 15 points each to lead the way, while Josh Adams added 14 of his own as the JackJumpers shared the ball with ease. For the Bullets, Robert Franks led all comers with 21 points, while Anthony Drmic poured in 20.

The second match of the day saw the Sydney Kings claim a statement win over the Perth Wildcats on the road at RAC Arena on Saturday night. The victory was set up by a record first half, with the Kings posting a whopping 64 points on their way to a big win as the postseason approaches.