Prather, 'Cooks' Cairns, Taipans lose 13th straight

"A lot happened tonight that we weren't ready for," Brisbane Bullets coach Justin Schueller said.

"To find some resolve and get through it, I'm just proud that we stayed with it and found a way."

The Brisbane Bullets indeed found a way, with Casey Prather and Keandre Cook combining for 65 points and 10 three-pointers in a thrilling 107-104 Sunshine Stoush victory (Game Centre) against the Cairns Taipans in Brisbane on December 20, 2024.

It was another step forward for the Bullets, now 8-8, while the Taipans have now lost 13 straight.

Returning to Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the Bullets aimed to maintain their winning run, having won three of their last four games.

They bounced back from Sunday’s fourth-quarter fade against the Sydney Kings, even overcoming the early loss of James Batemon to a hamstring injury. Prather led the way with 35 points, including 6/9 from beyond the arc, despite battling a late-game back complaint. Cook added 30 points and six rebounds, including four triples, while Tyrell Harrison contributed 12 points and five boards.

The Taipans, searching for their first win since October 6, gave the Bullets all they could handle. Rob Edwards delivered 27 points and five rebounds, with 4-from-10 shooting from deep, while Pedro Bradshaw added 22 points and five rebounds. Development player Alex Higgins-Titsha impressed again with 12 points, six rebounds, and 3-from-6 from three, while Taran Armstrong chipped in 16 points and five assists.

"When you look at the box score, what stands out is points off turnover," Taipans coach Adam Forde said.

"We coughed the ball up, made silly errors, and they capitalised.

"The second-chance points – they got 16 more shot attempts than us and that was on the back of the o-boards."

The contest began with Cairns opening up a 22-13 lead, thanks to a 14-0 scoring run fuelled by solid shooting by Higgins-Titsha, Edwards, Pedro Bradshaw, and Kyrin Galloway. But Brisbane responded with a 10-2 run, including a pair of threes from Prather, narrowing the gap.

By quarter-time, Cairns led 30-29 after Isaac White and Bradshaw traded buzzer-beating triples.

The Taipans extended their lead to seven in the second quarter with another strong run but couldn’t shake the Bullets. Brisbane closed the half with a 9-2 run, capped by Cook’s buzzer-beating three, to take a 56-54 lead into the locker room.

Cairns shot a scorching 65% in the half, but Brisbane’s aggressive defense forced 10 turnovers, leading to 19 points and offsetting the Snakes' efficiency.

The back-and-forth continued in the third quarter. Brisbane started strong with six of the first eight points, but Cairns answered with eight straight, including back-to-back triples from Bradshaw. Prather then exploded with three consecutive threes for Brisbane, but Cairns wouldn’t go away, closing the period down just 81-80.

The final quarter was more momentum swings. Brisbane opened with six straight points, only for triples from Edwards and Higgins-Titsha to give Cairns the lead. Cook and Prather then reasserted control with a barrage of threes, while Tohi Smith-Milner stepped up in Prather’s absence to hit a crucial triple, pushing the Bullets’ lead to five. Despite a last-gasp three from Higgins-Titsha to cut the margin to two with 6.7 seconds left, Edwards' potential game-tying prayer at the buzzer didn’t fall, sealing the Bullets' three-point win.

The Bullets now head to Adelaide for a Christmas Eve showdown with the 36ers, while the Taipans will host Melbourne United on Boxing Day.