Open roof was pretty, the rest of it not so much

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The only thing pretty about it was the open roof at John Cain Arena. There was no "new coach bump" only a thud as the South East Melbourne Phoenix ripped even deeper wounds into the Brisbane Bullets 107-78 in Round 13 of NBL26 on Saturday, December 20, 2025 in Melbourne.

The Bullets are now last at 5-14. Former head coach Stu Lash stepped down earlier in the week and NBL legend Darryl McDonald handed the impossible as the interim head coach while Brisbane searches for new coach.

"Stay – just try to stay together, man," Macdonald said.

"All we can do is just try to stay together. Like, I’m a big believer in body language. Head dropping, you know, technical fouls – that’s definitely not what we need right now.

"But you know, we said it before the game: next man, next play mentality. Like, referees are referees, man. They make calls. We can’t worry about that. We gotta get on to the next play.

"Even early in the game, they’re handing the ball in and our guys ain’t even ready. So we gotta be a little bit quicker and get the ball in.

"That way we don’t turn it over six times on underneath out-of-bounds or full-court out-of-bounds. Just gotta get through stuff quicker. Get into stuff quicker."

This was a comprehensive road loss for Brisbane, undone by inefficient offence, turnovers, and Phoenix’s relentless pressure across all four quarters. After trailing 22–17 at quarter time, the Bullets were still within reach midway through the second term before South East Melbourne blew the game open with a dominant 33-point second quarter.

This was a sobering performance for Brisbane against a Phoenix side that controlled pace, space, and physicality from early in the second quarter onward. While the rebounding numbers suggest competitiveness, the underlying metrics – turnovers, assists, shooting efficiency, and time in control – paint a clear picture of a game that slipped away quickly and never came back.

At halftime, Brisbane trailed 55–38, having already conceded control of tempo and shot quality. Any hope of a response after the break was extinguished in the third quarter, where the Bullets managed just 12 points, shooting poorly and repeatedly giving Phoenix transition opportunities. The margin ballooned to as many as 35 points, with Brisbane never able to string together sustained stops or scoring runs.

Brisbane led for just 1:08 of game time, with their largest lead being one point early. From there, it was one-way traffic.

Key Details

• NBL Box Score: South East Melbourne Phoenix 107 def. Brisbane Bullets 78
• Saturday, December 20, 2025 – John Cain Arena‍
• Attendance: 10,175
• Standings

"I mean, a weird thing is we’re accustomed to change, this playing group," Bullets veteran Mitch Norton said.

"We’ve had guys in and out of the roster all year. The biggest thing for me is, like, when you’re going through a really tough period, like, why do you play basketball?

"Is it the love of the game? Is it for your family? Whatever it is, you need to come back to that. And play for your brother next to you. Look to the left, look to the right.

"It doesn’t matter who steps foot on the floor. I thought (Jacob Holt) Holty, (Jack Purchase) Purch, you know, came and gave us really good energy and effort.

"Purch got his opportunity, knocked down shots, had a couple of blocks at the rim. And Holty is just a workhorse, man.

"He brings energy and effort, something that at times we’ve lacked."

Amid all the doom and gloom, the Bullets are last but just three games back of sixth. But the window is closing quickly.

"Just putting it all out there, man," McDonald said of what the Bullets needed to do the rest of the season.

"Putting it all out there on the floor. Play every possession like it’s your last.

And it’s easy for me to say that, right? But we need bodies to play the way we want to play. It’s hard. Going into this next game, we may have seven or eight guys.

But when your opportunity comes, take advantage of it. Like he talked about Jack – this is your opportunity. Holt’s gotta play more. Tohi (Smith-Milner) gave us good minutes.

"So again, stay together. But when your opportunity comes, take full advantage of it. Give me a reason to play you. That’s gonna be the main thing."

Key Team Takeaways

• Turnovers were decisive: Brisbane committed 28 turnovers, directly fuelling Phoenix’s transition offence and ballooning the margin.
• Ball movement stalled: Just 12 assists on 25 made field goals highlights stagnant half-court offence.
• Shooting inefficiency: Sub-37% shooting overall and limited paint efficiency made it impossible to keep pace.
• Rebounding wasn’t the issue: Brisbane actually won the rebound count (+5), but failed to convert second-chance looks into momentum.

Brisbane Bullets – Player Breakdown

Top Scorers

• Javon Freeman-Liberty – 17 points (5–19 FG), 5–6 FT
  High-usage night but struggled for efficiency, committing 5 turnovers under pressure.
• Jacob Holt – 10 points, 6 rebounds
  Perfect 3–3 FG, provided energy off the bench but limited minutes in a game that was already breaking open.
• Jack Purchase – 9 points (3–5 FG, 2–4 3PT)
  One of the few perimeter players to find rhythm.

Starting Unit Analysis

• Alex Ducas – 7 points, 2 rebounds, –21
  Couldn’t impact the game offensively and was stretched defensively.
• Mitch Norton (C) – 6 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, –22
  Heavy defensive pressure disrupted Brisbane’s primary organiser.
• Tyrell Harrison – 9 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
  Strong interior presence statistically, but limited offensive touches.
• Sam McDaniel – 7 points in 13 minutes
  Efficient shooting, but minimal overall influence due to reduced minutes.
• Terry Taylor – 7 points, 6 rebounds, –29
  Couldn’t impose himself physically against Phoenix’s frontline depth.

Bench Impact

• Tohi Smith-Milner – 6 points, 4 rebounds
  Drew fouls but struggled finishing (1–4 FG).
• Taine Murray – Scoreless in 11 minutes
  Limited impact as Brisbane searched for scoring sparks.

Tactical & Structural Issues

1. Ball Security
Phoenix’s perimeter pressure (14 steals) completely dismantled Brisbane’s offensive flow. Entry passes, dribble handoffs, and weak-side reads were repeatedly disrupted.

2. Half-Court Creation
Without consistent paint touches or advantage creation, Brisbane settled for late-clock attempts and contested jumpers.

3. Transition Defence
Live-ball turnovers translated into easy Phoenix scores, preventing Brisbane from ever setting its defence.