Brisbane Bullets’ final hopes appear shot

Adelaide centre Daniel Johnston blew Brisbane away in overtime to bury the Bullets’ NBL finals hopes.

Adelaide’s Daniel Johnson finished with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Adelaide centre Daniel Johnston blew Brisbane away in overtime as the 36ers romped to an 95-84 win to bury the Bullets’ NBL finals hopes.

Johnston finished with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, saving his best for the extra period after the scores were locked at 79-all at fulltime at Brisbane Convention Centre yesterday.

He drained two big three-pointers and a dunk to take the game away from the Bullets with a sizzling 16-5 overtime scoreline.

At 7-13, Brisbane’s season looks finished while the 36ers stay fourth on the ladder with an 11-8 record.

Adelaide showed a ton of character after Brisbane appeared to have the momentum and the crowd behind them in the final quarter.

Bullets import Perrin Buford had a chance to score the winning basket in the dying seconds only to lose the ball with 2.5 seconds left.

Buford, who returned from an ankle injury for the crucial clash, bagged 19 points and seven boards.

Perth remain in the driver’s seat for the NBL minor premiership after holding on for a tough road win against the bottom-placed Sydney Kings on Saturday night. After winning in Cairns on New Year’s Eve and slumping to a loss in Adelaide on Thursday, the Wildcats completed their three-game road trip with a 76-68 win in Sydney.

“I thought the effort was really good in the first half and then we got tired,” Perth coach Trevor Gleeson said after watching his team grind out a win despite falling behind in the fourth quarter.

“We have been away for eight days so our execution went down and we missed a couple of open shots.”

Gleeson singled out Derek Cooke Jr after the American centre pulled down seven offensive rebounds on his way to a double-double, including a late offensive board to allow Bryce Cotton to put Perth ahead 71-68 with two minutes to play.

“I was really happy for Derek,” he said. “He was keeping the ball alive on the offensive glass and that really helps get those second-chance points.

“I think Bryce hit that late floater from an offensive rebound ... that’s what you need to get those hustle points when you are on the road.”

Cotton finished with 18 points for the Wildcats while Jean-Pierre Tokoto added 14.

AAP