Fresh focus for huge Bullets battle

Adelaide will be out for revenge when the 36ers host Brisbane Bullets at the Entertainment Centre on Christmas Eve.

The 36ers will be looking to reverse a 102-83 loss to the Bullets in Brisbane on December 6 in a game Adelaide was missing Montrezl Harrell, Kendric Davis and DJ Vasiljevic.

Davis and Harrell will be back for the return battle on Tuesday as both sides will field different rosters from the last contest.

Brisbane have won four of their past five matches to get their NBL25 season back on track with import swingman Casey Prather the key reason behind the Bullets’ rejuvenation. 

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THE KEY
Prather is back to his best and looks like the player that has won three NBL championships at two different clubs.

Prather has battled multiple injuries over the past two seasons, but has hit his stride over the past six matches, where he’s averaging 28.3 points per night.

The 36ers have seen first-hand the resurgence of Prather after the 198cm swingman scored a game-high 33 points at 82 per cent in the Bullets’ 102-83 win earlier this month.

Across the fist 15 games this NBL25 season, Prather is scoring 19.1 points per game, the best average he has had since being a major part of the Perth Wildcats’ 2016-17 championship.

Prather, who has been starting in the stretch four position in the absence of Josh Bannan, will most likely get a mismatch at both ends of the floor.

THE SECRET
After starting the NBL25 season slowly, import swingman Keandre Cook has been building into the form which saw him as a key piece the Brisbane puzzle this off-season.

Cook is a scoring machine who can play multiple positions and has been combining well with Prather across the past month.

The 27-year-old averages 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game and creates match-up questions at both ends of the floor.

Cook is a real barometer for the Bullets, he has scored 25 points or more in Brisbane’s past three wins, but only managed five points in their loss to the Kings last round.

DEPTH CHART
Norton / Naar
Batemon / White / Savage
Cook / Devers
Prather / Bannan
Harrison / Zikarski / Smith-Milner

FINAL WORD
This looms like a must-win game both teams with a logjam of clubs vying for playoff positions becoming more evident.

Brisbane will be rested and confident after their win against the Taipans at home last Friday night, while Adelaide has to bounce back after the 20-point loss on the road on Saturday night.

The Bullets look to have found their rhythm of the past few rounds and will come to the Entertainment Centre knowing their best is good enough to win.

Adelaide must look to counter a potential Bullets ‘small ball’ attack and use the strength and size on both ends of the court.