Bullets Answer the Call for Bounce Back Win Over JJ's

The desperate Brisbane Bullets have breathed new life into their season after toppling the in-form Tasmania JackJumpers 94-86 at Nissan Arena on Saturday.

Tasmania came into this match riding a wave of form, winning four of their last five matches to sit just outside of the #NBL22 top four. 

That included hitting 22 threes in their last up win over the Illawarra Hawks while the Bullets had lost three straight, seven of their last eight and copped a spray from their coach James Duncan after Thursday's loss to Cairns saying they were playing selfish basketball. 

They responded, moving the ball through more hands and finding the open man with more ease. Brisbane also did what they could to limit Tasmania's effectiveness from beyond the arc, even though they still went a respectable 12/32.

The team-first brand of basketball paid dividends for the Bullets who stretched the JackJumpers defence and allowed multiple players to score. Robert Franks found his top form with 23 points and 11 rebounds. 

Deng Deng had a huge influence with 11 points and five rebounds. Lamar Patterson was potent offensively with 16 points but showed another dimension to his game with 10 assists. 

Jason Cadee produced 13 points, three rebounds and three assists while Nathan Sobey, on limited minutes as he returns from a knee injury, had 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. 

Brisbane coach James Duncan praised his team's ability to stick to the game plan and play unselfish basketball to earn the win while paying tribute to Patterson's role.

"The guys came in really focused on doing that and following the game plan, credit to the boys for sticking with it," he said.

"Having someone else do that helps our team, we can't just focus on Sobes and Jase. You guys can see that he can put the ball in the basket, this is a happy balance. It was clean, good basketball, enjoyable basketball."

Making the win more impressive was Cadee having to pass a fitness test to play and Sobey still working his way back from a knee injury.

"It's getting there, it's a slow process. We've just got to take the wins and enjoy them while we can, right now we don't want to get ahead of ourselves," Sobey said.

"We have to stay locked into what we are doing and keep practising hard. We have been so close the last two to three weeks in every game and just didn't get that reward. Today we got that reward ... it puts us in better stead."

Jack McVeigh carried his form from the Hawks match into this clash with 21 points including 4/6 from long range. MiKyle McIntosh was hugely improved with 21 points while Josh Magette had 15 points and seven assists. 

Tasmania coach Scott Roth said defence let them down, but could see a silver lining to the loss.

"We scored enough points to be in the game, our problem was defence. Letting Brisbane score 53 points in the first half, that is not characteristic of us at all, it is not how we are built, how I coach and what I expect from these guys," Roth said.

"I believe they scored 20 points in five minutes at the end of that second period. "It was just breakdowns and things that are correctable, which is really good. 

"I love these guys and their fight, it could have been a 25 point game had we dropped out heads, but that has not been part of the culture we are building. I am proud of them, it was good to be on the road and be down and see what kind of grit we had."

After watching the JackJumpers tear Illawarra to shreds from the three-point line, the Bullets defence stifled their opposition to great effect, forcing Tasmania into tough shots and missing their first seven scoring attempts. 

However, Tasmania soon got hot and suddenly the visitors had a six-point lead. A Brisbane timeout helped stop the run, back-to-back Anthony Drmic buckets bringing them back to within two points. 

A nine-point outburst from Deng Deng off the bench including a three-pointer and a dunk inspired the Bullets. It helped the Bullets take a narrow 24-22 lead into the first break.

The JackJumpers still had drained six triples from six different players which was causing problems for the home side. 

A brilliant play from Franks weaving through traffic was followed by another cameo from Deng and the Bullets turned a three-point deficit into a three-point lead. 

It all started clicking for the Bullets who stretched their run to nine points to lead by the same amount before Tasmania coach Scott Roth called a timeout.

A McIntosh charge to the rack got the JackJumpers back on the scoreboard, but Sobey immediately replied with a four-point play that extended his side's lead to 11. In the end, the Bullets went to the change rooms enjoying a 53-44 advantage. 

The normally miserly defence of the JackJumpers was being broken down by the Bullets with relative ease in the third quarter and the visitors were bleeding points. When Cadee knocked down a triple, the score was 66-52.

Tasmania clawed their way back into the match with a 7-0 run of their own. It forced Duncan to put some of his stars back in and Patterson responded with a triple to break the run to help the Bullets to an eight-point lead heading into the final quarter. 

Bullets import Isaiah Moss has struggled to get going, but delivered a play for the highlight reel with an intercept and commanding dunk to help steer his side back out to an 11-point lead. 

Time was starting to become the enemy for the JackJumpers but a McVeigh long-range strike from the corner cut the margin to just six. Cadee responded, but Magette hit another three as both sides began to light it up from long range. 

The resolute Brisbane defence held the JackJumpers at arm's length and the home side was able to record a critical win to keep their season alive.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 13

BRISBANE BULLETS 94 (Franks 23, Patterson 16, Deng 14, Sobey 14)

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 86 (McVeigh 21, McIntosh 21, Magette 15) 

BOX SCORE