'Hungry' Bullets win third straight, Keandre has 33

• Brisbane Bullets in 116-108 comeback win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
• Keandre Cook led the Bullets with 33 points
• Phoenix blows 15-point led early in the second half

Brisbane Bullets coach Justin Schueller praised his team’s growing resilience and connectivity after their third consecutive win, a 116-108 triumph against the South East Melbourne Phoenix (Game Centre) at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday December 12, 2024 in the first game of Round 12.

Despite trailing by 15 points early in the second half, the Bullets roared back with a strong second-half performance to improve to 7-7 on the season.

Schueller was pleased but said the Bullets still have areas to improve. What coach doesn't?

"There’s still a lot in that game I don’t like, and that’s the positive right now — weirdly — that there’s still so much growth we’ve got to go, and we are in this position right now," Schueller said.

"I’m pleased for the guys to get three in-a-row, but we’re still hungry, and we don’t want this thing to stop."

Brisbane’s comeback was fuelled by Keandre Cook’s 33 points, Tyrell Harrison’s 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Casey Prather’s 16 points and six boards. The Bullets shot 58% from the field, including 13-from-28 from three-point range, and outscored the Phoenix 68-49 in the second half.

Schueller said the Brisbane roster was starting to gel.

"There’s definitely a connectivity in this group that, when we play the right way and share the ball, and have each other’s back defensively, we feel like we can do something special," he said.

The game started with both teams in strong form, but it was South East Melbourne who took control early. Former Bullets captain Nathan Sobey scored 25 points in his return to Brisbane, and Matt Hurt added 27 points and five rebounds. The Phoenix led 59-48 at halftime and pushed the lead to 15 early in the third quarter.

Brisbane responded with a 10-0 run that included triples from Prather and Mitch Norton, and by the end of the third quarter, the Bullets had closed the gap to just one point. The fourth quarter was all Brisbane, with Cook and Isaac White hitting key three-pointers and Tohi Smith-Milner adding a crucial three-point play.

South East Melbourne coach Josh King expressed frustration with his team’s defensive collapse: "Brisbane just thoroughly beat us badly in the second half, and 68 points is really embarrassing," he said.

"You’re not going to win games giving up 116 points."