Manny fires but Sixers just fall short in Brisbane

The Adelaide 36ers looked on target to keep their momentum going albeit almost two weeks later on the road to the Brisbane Bullets at Nissan Arena on Friday night but couldn’t quite complete the job.

The Sixers last played back on Sunday January 30 where they shocked Melbourne United with an overtime win in Adelaide. The hero that afternoon was Dusty Hannahs, though, and COVID protocols meant he was unavailable for the trip to Brisbane along with Next Star Mojave King.

However, the Bullets also were without injured superstar Nathan Sobey and while Lamar Patterson and Robert Franks had their moments for the home team, Adelaide did appear to have the answers most of the evening.

It was Cam Bairstow and Daniel Johnson doing a lot of the damage in the opening stages as they went on a 15-0 run early in the game but then when a game breaker was needed, in stepped Manny Malou off the bench.

In his first NBL season having broken down the door for this opportunity with state league performances, Malou drained three huge bombs from beyond the arc either side of three quarter-time to help Adelaide to the 10-point advantage on the road.

Things didn’t quite go to plan from there. In the final seven minutes, the 36ers didn’t score aside from on two three-pointers from Sunday Dech, the first to keep the lead at seven and the second with 13.2 seconds left to make it a two-point game.

However, Brisbane had all the momentum closing the game on their home floor with a 14-3 and 20-6 run with Lamar Patterson finishing with 32 points in the eventual 77-73 win.

Adelaide will rue one that got away with Daniel Johnson finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Cam Bairstow 12 points and seven boards, Sunday Dech 10 points and four steals, and Manny Malou 11 points on a perfect 4/4 from the field and 3/3 from downtown.

Mitch McCarron added eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, Kai Sotto six points and five boards, Todd Withers five points, Hyrum Harris four points and Tad Dufelmeier two points.

Sixers coach CJ Bruton felt it might have been another game his team let slip, but he wanted to pay tribute to the contribution of Malou.

"I think we've had a few slip through our fingers now, but we definitely controlled the game for most of that," he said. 

"I thought down the stretch there we had some good looks that just didn’t fall over the front of the rim, but Manny came in and gave us some valuable minutes and contributed in that short patch which kept us ticking alive."

The Bullets got the perfect start with a Lamar Patterson three ball but things quickly got ugly for the home team. Things dried up offensively and they were leaking defensively with the 36ers fresh from the break taking full toll.

With Cam Bairstow and Daniel Johnson enjoying their advantages in the block combining for 10 points, Adelaide hit the next 15 points of the game which also included a Todd Withers putback and and-one.

The Sixers were up 15-3 and Brisbane had to respond and it started with three balls to Anthony Drmic and Isaiah Moss. Patterson then hit a couple more bombs for 13 points in the quarter and Adelaide's advantage was just 25-21 by the end of one.

Things really dried up at both ends to open the second quarter with neither team scoring for more than three minutes. Eventually the drought was broken with a pair of Patterson free-throws and then a Kai Sotto finish for the 36ers up the other end.

Mitch McCarron and Johnson helped Adelaide to five straight points for a four-point lead, but little separated the sides with the Sixers narrowly up 38-36 at the half.

Patterson levelled scores up to start the second half and it was the Bullets who made a break this time. Triples to Patterson and Robert Franks had them up five, but Adelaide responded with 13 of the next 15 points.

That included a three-point play from captain McCarron and a triple from Manny Malou who just hit the floor and suddenly it was the Sixers up six, and still four by three quarter-time.

Malou was just warming up too and the only two scores of the first three minutes of the fourth period were his three-point bombs to stretch Adelaide out to a 10-point lead.

Things were looking good in that moment for the Sixers, but it soon changed. Brisbane got the next six points and then it was Patterson who took over with eight points as part of a 12-0 run as the Bullets took the lead and claimed the four-point win.

The 36ers have until next Sunday before hosting the Cairns Taipans back at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 11

ADELAIDE 36ERS 73 (Johnson 15, Bairstow 12, Malou 11) 

BRISBANE BULLETS 77 (Patterson 32, Franks 15, Drmic 7, Moss 7)

BOX SCORE