Preview: Brisbane vs Tasmania - Round 5, NBL24

Friday, October 27, 2023

Can Brisbane claim a second win in Round 5, or will the JackJumpers shake off their defeat?

Sunday, October 29 at 4pm AEDT | Nissan Arena

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10play - International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Brisbane snapped a four-game losing run with a Friday night win over Perth, despite the continued absences of the suspended Aron Baynes and injured Shannon Scott.

Tasmania lost at home to Melbourne following strong performances from Luke Travers and Ian Clark for the visiting side.

It has been almost 12 months since these teams last played each other. The JackJumpers won the last meeting in Round 9, NBL23 by 15 points.

Brisbane
84-79 win over Perth
73-96 loss to South East Melbourne
78-89 loss to Melbourne

Tasmania
82-90 loss to Melbourne
105-95 win over Sydney
85-86 loss to South East Melbourne

Josh Bannan
Injury forced fans to wait to see Josh Bannan hit the NBL floor for the first time, and now the former Montana Grizzly is picking up a head of steam in his first professional season – he’s starting to look really, really good.

Bannan is showcasing the abilities that saw the Indiana Pacers invite him for a pre-draft workout prior to the NBL24 pre-season, and the fact he played more minutes than any other Bullet in the win over the Wildcats is a testament to how well he performed.

It was a drastically improved performance from his NBL debut in Round 4, and if that’s the level Bannan can consistently reach over the course of this season, he could well throw his hat into the ring for the competition’s Next Generation award.

“He was a real target for us through recruitment ... you could see he was going to be an NBL player and tonight he showed he’s got great touch and physical presence but also looked like he still had some rust. I think the sky is the limit for where he can go.” – Justin Schueller on Josh Bannan following the win over Perth.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Banno got that dawg in him.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIVERCITYSTRONG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIVERCITYSTRONG</a> <a href="https://t.co/OizLzywklU">pic.twitter.com/OizLzywklU</a></p>— Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets/status/1717892108219236591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Milton Doyle
The fact we can sit here and say Milton Doyle had an uncharacteristically quiet performance against Melbourne, yet he still finished with 12 points and five assists, speaks volumes about his ability.

No matter how he’s playing Doyle never looks panicked, he never tries to force his shot, and he’s happy being a distributor as opposed to a scorer, but Melbourne United were steadfast in their desire to not allow him to repeat his game-winning performance from Round 2.

The three-headed offensive monster that is Doyle, Jordon Crawford and Jack McVeigh saw the latter take the lead against Melbourne, but Doyle could set a timely reminder of why he’s a genuine MVP candidate, with a big game against the Bullets.

“I love playing with them. They’re the types of basketball players I want to be around and I’m learning from Milton Doyle and ‘JC’ every day, and they’re the level I want to be at as a basketball player.” – Jack McVeigh on Milton Doyle and Jordon Crawford.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Milton Doyle - so good, so smooth ?<br><br>Watch live & free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, 10 Peach & 10 Play ? <a href="https://t.co/ZYpfDMCYqs">pic.twitter.com/ZYpfDMCYqs</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1715971135865512115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tyrell Harrison vs Marcus Lee
When Perth mounted its fourth quarter comeback against Brisbane on Friday night, an Aron Bayne and Shannon Scott-less Bullets could have easily rolled over and allowed the star-studded Wildcats to run over them, but Tyrell Harrison’s performance with the game on the line helped guide them to a much-needed win.

Harrison was grabbing tough boards, staying defensively active and throwing down monster jams in the final quarter and stood up with the game on the line – all while in foul trouble.

While Harrison got the better of Keanu Pinder and Alex Sarr in that final term, Marcus Lee was once again forced from the floor against Melbourne due to early foul trouble but, like Harrison, looked likely to change the game while he was on.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TYRELL HARRISON HAS A VENDETTA AGAINST THIS RING ?<br><br>Catch the final moments live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/o0myovcF0G">pic.twitter.com/o0myovcF0G</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1717880481813848351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Both likely starting centers have struggled to stay on the floor in crucial parts of games over recent weeks, and Harrison’s ability to play through that early foul trouble was crucial to Brisbane winning on Friday. Lee’s struggle to do the same could be seen as crucial to Tasmania’s loss.

Both players are high-quality inside beasts when they’re at their best – this could almost come down to who can stay on the court the longest.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kicking it off against the old side. Marcus Lee above the rim ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/BhJAU9VRvb">pic.twitter.com/BhJAU9VRvb</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1717823515154399346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>