Bullets fire after early NBL wobbles to beat 36ers

Brisbane have overcome a nightmarish first 90 seconds under new coach Justin Schueller to haul in a hot-and-cold Adelaide and win their NBL season opener 86-71.

The Bullets, rebuilt on and off-court after a ninth-placed finish last season, trailed 10-0 after 90 seconds and 15-0 a minute later against the 36ers on their sold-out home court on Friday night.

The visitor's fast start at Nissan Arena defied a troubled pre-season that saw them let import Jamaal Franklin go. Things dried up for Adelaide, who scored just 25 points across the middle two quarters as the Bullets built a 15-point lead, only to see it reduced to four with two minutes to play.

But Nathan Sobey's (18 points) tough three-point play and a crucial tip-in and rebound from Aron Baynes (12 points, 13 rebounds) steaded the hosts and ensured an important win.

Sam McDaniel was also crucial in the fourth quarter, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sobey had earlier kick-started Brisbane's run, darting along the baseline and slamming home a momentum-shifting bucket before pulling up twice for field goals in a telling second-quarter stretch.

A third foul kept Sobey sidelined but the Bullets kept the 36ers quiet without him to build a 15-point lead.

Isaac Humphries (17 points, seven rebounds) emptied the tank in his battle with Baynes and Tyrell Harrison, while Jacob Wylie (15 points, nine rebounds, five assists) and Trey Kell (nine points on four-of-17 shooting) started explosively for Adelaide but faded.

They missed the impact of a third import, coach CJ Bruton with a tough call on whether to bolster his front and back court with Franklin's pending replacement.

Next Star Trentyn Flowers (four points, five rebounds, one assist in 15 minutes) was influential in the 36ers' fourth-quarter fight back.

Brisbane's 17-year-old Rocco Zikarski (two points, two rebounds) saw some late time, the full house erupting as he became the second-youngest Bullets debutant behind club great Simon Kerle.