NBL Round 8: Brisbane Bullets bottle it against Perth as Jack McVeigh saves Tasmania in Cairns clash
Brisbane was in control in the final quarter, leading Perth by nine – then the Bullets froze and the Wildcats took over. Here’s how Bryce Cotton led his side to a comeback victory.
Basketball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brisbane coach Justin Schueller is adamant the Bullets are “as good as anyone” in the NBL despite another final-quarter collapse on Saturday night.
The Bullets’ dismal finish gifted Perth a fifth successive win, with the Wildcats prevailing 79-76 at Nissan Arena.
Brisbane had been seeking redemption after allowing Sydney to score the final 15 points last Sunday in a 104-95 Kings win.
However, the Bullets again froze when it mattered most, giving up a nine-point lead with less than five minutes remaining to slump to a third successive loss and a seventh defeat of the season.
“Right now what I know about this group is we’re as good as anyone in this league. we can compete with anyone in this league, (but) we’ve just got to learn what winning looks like for 40 minutes,” Schueller said.
“There’s way more (that happened) before the end of this game. The margin says three points but there’s so much we could have controlled that we identified going in that we didn’t get done.
“That’s where my frustration and the group’s frustration sits. We put ourselves in a position to win a game again and we didn’t take care of it.”
In contrast, the Wildcats continued their resurgence under coach John Rillie, with their fifth successive victory improving their season record to seven wins from 12 games.
“We’re competing for 40 minutes right now,” Rillie said.
“I like how we just stayed with it. It was very ugly for a lot of the game but then we had a great fourth-quarter performance.
“We just needed to stay with the pace and the momentum of the game.”
After a slow start offensively. Wildcats star Bryce Cotton hit a game-high 25 points in a player-of-the match performance.
Cotton was backed up by Kristian Doolittle, who finished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
For the Bullets, American guard Chris Smith was a standout performer with 23 points, including 15 in the second quarter.
But it meant nothing in the end as the Bullets again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
“I felt like as a team we all played as hard as we could but we couldn’t get it down,” Smith said.
“We’re just going to keep working on it. It’s stuff that we know we can do better at. It’s just executing that when it comes down to crunch time.”
McVeigh saves JackJumpers after MVP contender’s foul disaster
– Gyan-Reece Rocha
It was chaos in Cairns after an overtime thriller finished with the relentless JackJumpers overcoming Cairns Taipans 90-87 thanks to Jack McVeigh’s hit an ice-cold buzzer beater.
In a nervous contest throughout, guards Jordon Crawford and McVeigh’s two-punch offence was too powerful for Taipans, with Crawford putting on a show in the opening quarter, as well as in overtime.
McVeigh finished with 24 points and five rebounds and Crawford scored 20 points four assists and five rebounds.
DAVID V GOLIATH
Jordon Crawford’s silky style of play was incredible to watch in the first quarter. The 168cm (5ft 6in) guard had seven points on lockdown defender Bul Kuol (201 cm) in the first quarter. However, Kuol made defensive adjustments at quarter-time, while Armstrong and Miller had their fair share of minutes guarding Crawford to quell his influence on the contest in the second and third quarter.
Crawford powered his way back into the contest in the fourth quarter, pushing his side over line in overtime and finishing with 20 points. His clutch free throws in overtime were crucial to the victory.
MILLER IN MVP FORM
Patrick Miller is inching back to his best. The Chicago-native, who was in MVP-contention before his back injury, is a cornerstone of the Taipans. He continually drove to the basket, drew fouls, sniped from mid-range and was a danger from outside the arc.
He finished with 26 points, 4 assists and zero turnovers combining with Tahjere McCall (21 points) on numerous occasions.
JackJumper guard Jack McVeigh put on a strong performance, shooting multiple daggers from three and finishing with
Taipans struggled in the opening quarter, but McCall set the table for the snakes in the opening half. The leader and emotional barometer of the squad imposed his will going to the rim, was cagey around the basket and continually scoring from turnover and finishing in transition.
PROTECT THE ROCK
Taipans conceded 19 turnovers against Perth Wildcats on Thursday, with the side struggling to hold possession despite starting the game with three guards (Armstrong, Miller and McCall). Forde said it would be an experimental line-up he would continue to persist with in an effort to limit turnovers and protect possession. Less than two days later the Taipans started the same three guards and finished with three turnovers for the first half and 8 turnovers for the game, with Armstrong, Miller and McCall having no turnovers in the first half and only three between them for the game. It was a crucial adjustment that led the side forward and appears to be a starting line-up that will continue to grow as the season progresses.
FORDE’S CHESS MOVE
Taipans coach Adam Forde may have just found the right balance in his line-up after the snakes went on a 15-4 run in the second quarter to get them back in the contest.
A five that featured Miller, McCall, Kuol, Lat Mayen and Sam Waardenburg went on an unstoppable run to close the second quarter after Taipans were struggling to stay afloat. The mix of outside scoring threat, physicality, versatility and strong defensive instincts was on show. Forde’s chess move in the second.
DJ, FLOWERS INSPIRE 36ERS COMEBACK FOR AGES
– Jason Phelan
The DJ Vasiljevic-inspired 36ers spoiled the return of favourite son Daniel Johnson on Saturday night, Adelaide snapping out of a first-half funk to rally to a stunning three-point win over South East Melbourne.
CJ Bruton’s side was down by 18 points early in the third quarter, but stormed back into the contest to trail by a point heading into the last quarter and go on to score a crucial win to improve to a 4-7 record.
Up 91-89 with 28 seconds left in the game, Adelaide inbounded the ball with Mitch McCarron fouled with 21 seconds left.
The skipper hit both his free throws to make it 93-89, but there was more drama to come.
The Phoenix kept coming, trailing by two points with 7.8 seconds left, but man-of-the-moment Vasiljevic, who finished with a game-high 29 points, was fouled with four seconds remaining and drained both his free throws to secure a famous win.
All eyes were on Johnson, who wasn’t offered a contract at the end of his 13th season with the Sixers, and was signed as an injury replacement by the Phoenix last week.
He was warmly applauded by Sixers fans on his introduction and went on to hit two threes in nearly 10 minutes of game time, but was unable to have a significant influence on the game.
The result continues Phoenix’s disappointing road form, Mike Kelly’s side with just one win outside Melbourne to drop to a 6-6 record.
FIRST-HALF FUNK
The out-of-sorts Sixers trailed at half-time for the ninth consecutive game.
It was a clash of one of the NBL’s highest scoring teams in South East Melbourne against the lowest in Adelaide and it showed in a disappointing first quarter for the home side.
The Phoenix dealt Adelaide a 17-point beating when they were in town a month ago, and they reached that margin at the end of a dominant opening term.
South East Melbourne put up a season-high 35 points at stunning shooting of 14-from-20 (70 per cent) from the floor.
The Sixers went on a 6-0 run to start the second, but were quickly on the back foot again, trailing by 18 points at the main break.
GET IN, GALLOWAY!
Adelaide didn’t make a three-point shot in the first half and was 0-from-9 from long range in the third quarter to the Phoenix’s 6-from-14 before little-used Kyrin Galloway was injected into the game and got one to drop with just under five minutes remaining in the third.
His second triple soon after helped spark his team and the home fans, who could smell a comeback.
An unsportsmanlike foul by Gary Browne on Tohi Smith-Milner helped swing the momentum further in favour of the 36ers, and when Vasiljevic drained his first three of the evening the Sixers were humming.
When an off-balance Vasiljevic banked in a triple with time expiring, Adelaide had slashed the margin to one point with a barnstorming 31-14 quarter.
BROWNE FLIES
Browne had already earned the ire of the home fans after his unsportsmanlike foul and the boos rained down after replays showed him fling himself backwards to accentuate contact by Vasiljevic in the first minute of the tense final term.
The foul did little to halt the home side’s run, Trentyn Flowers giving his team the lead for the first time since the opening minutes with a triple with eight minutes remaining.
COTTON HEROICS POWERING WILDCATS RESURGENCE
– Gyan-Reece Rocha
Showstopping scorer Bryce Cotton and energiser Tai Webster thundered Perth Wildcats home in a physically grinding contest against Cairns Taipans.
The Wildcats have continued their NBL resurgence, with Cotton proving to be an unguardable scoring machine, finishing with 25 points, four assists, and four rebounds, leading the charge in their fourth straight win.
The former NBA guard was a powerhouse, finding a way to string baskets together despite being guarded by two of the premier defenders in the NBL, Bul Kuol and Tahjere McCall, with the match finishing 88-80.
He had finished with more than 30 in his last three games heading into Taipans fixture, recording a season-high 37 points in round 7 against New Zealand Breakers.
Cotton said he and coach John Rillie were going to try to keep their team composed. “The halftime message will be to stay composed,” Cotton said. “It’s going to be a physical game all the way through. “Sometimes you’ve got to win ugly, but it’ll be a good testament to what we are about: staying in control and not letting our (negative) mentality get the best of us.”
In a back-and-forth contest in the first half, Tai Webster set the tone early in the third quarter with a number of defensive moments that galvanised the crowd and his teammates.
The Wildcats went on a 6-0 run to start the quarter, stretching their lead out to 10 points, a margin the Taipans were not able to claw back in their favour.
“A game is never going to go to the perfect script, that’s why we have a roster like we have, so we don’t have to lose flow in the way we play,” Rillie said.
“Jordan Usher came in and provided great minutes, Tai Webster just keeps growing into his role in creating pace for us in offence and defence.”
Despite the loss, McCall was solid, able to receive repeat scoring opportunities at the free-throw line, shooting 7-12, keeping his side’s head above water and finishing with 19 points.
Lat Mayen was a flamethrower from three, shooting 5-7 and finishing with 15 points in 25 minutes, but Taipans committed 27 personal fouls and 18 turnovers which contributed to the loss.
Guard Patrick Miller was positive after the game, trusting the process of his team.
“It was a good game for us all being together, I can take that from this game,” Miller said.
“This is still early (in the season), we’re going to get better.
Wildcats forward Keanu Pinder was unable to have a heavy influence against his former side, finishing with four points for the match.
BATTLE OF THE IRONMEN
Kuol and Cotton were leading the league in minutes per game heading into the tie, showcasing their endless grit and extreme motors. The matchup was fiery from the tip-off, with Kuol embracing his ability to stick tight to opposition scorers and irritate their game plan. However, Kuol found it difficult to stay out of foul trouble early, committing two personal fouls but was able to have an impact on the offensive end and settled after switching off Cotton. McCall took over the guarding responsibilities for the remainder of the quarter, but together they were unable to quell Cotton’s impact.
YOUNG TALENT TIME
The Battle of the Next Stars was an intriguing peek into the future, but Alexandre Sarr showed tremendous upside in the second half with a critical block and presence below the basket and outside the arc. He finished with 12 points, two blocks, and two steals.
“All over the NBL there is a lot of physicality,” Sarr said.
“It helps my game grow, ten games (prior) I did not play the way I play now.
“Being in a physical league and a professional league is the way to improve.”
Sarr is a 7-footer who is a supreme athlete with an outside shot and unlimited defensive potential.
Meanwhile, Bobi Klintman struggled to gain momentum throughout while coming off the bench. In his return from a hip complaint, he played only six minutes.
At his best, he is powerful, has versatility, and can shoot daggers from behind the arc. However, this version of Klintman was not on show.
LAMB’S SHOOTING SLAUGHTER LEADS NZ PAST TASSIE
Jonathon Tuxworth
A desperate New Zealand and a red-hot second quarter shooting masterclass by Anthony Lamb proved too much for the JackJumpers to overcome in a 97-92 loss at Launceston on Thursday night.
Tasmania (6-5) was searching for a third straight win, but it was the Breakers (3-6) who breathed new life into their season after surviving a late JackJumpers surge.
Down 93-84 with just over two minutes left, the JackJumpers got to within a point but couldn’t execute in the dying seconds.
The Breakers shot at over 70 per cent from the field for the first quarter-and-a-half to set up the win.
Lamb, who signed with New Zealand as an injury replacement last month, scored 14 points in the first four minutes of the second term.
He finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored 22.
The only downside for the already injury depleted Breakers was a knee injury to captain Will McDowell-White, who played no part in the second half.
The biggest positive for the JackJumpers was the performance of Will Magnay in just his second game returning from long term injury.
He contributed 20 points (6-7 FG, 8-8 FT), 12 rebounds, four blocks and an assist in just over 15 minutes of game time.
It was the Milton Doyle (17 points) show in the first quarter as the JackJumpers import scored 13 points off 4-4 shooting.
JackJumpers fans held their breath when Doyle limped off with a right ankle issue late in the first term.
He returned in the second quarter, but didn’t score again until early in the final term and still looked to be ginger on his feet at times.
Lamb hit eight of his first nine shots as New Zealand built a 15-point advantage, before Tasmania trimmed the margin to 56-47 at halftime.
The Breakers hit their first six three point attempts to take the initiative.
Tasmania will look to regroup before they travel to Cairns to take on the Taipans on Saturday.
More Coverage
Originally published as NBL Round 8: Brisbane Bullets bottle it against Perth as Jack McVeigh saves Tasmania in Cairns clash
Crosscourt: Phoenix mentor safe, but for how long?
South East Melbourne will stay the course with under pressure coach Mike Kelly — for now. Plus, here’s why Montrezl Harrell escaped sanction despite shoving a referee.
SuperCoach NBL fast trades, tips for Round 4
One player should be at the top of the shopping list for your SuperCoach NBL team this week. See the moves to make to get your team firing for round 4 in minutes.