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Battler’s horror season rolls on with 29-point loss; champ quiet but 36ers shine — NBL Wrap
Brisbane Bullets have continued their horror season after going down in a thrashing 29-point loss to South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday night.
In Darryl McDonald’s first game in charge as interim coach after Stu Lash stepped down during the week, the Bullets started with promise but fell down a cliff to trail by 19 in the second quarter, which then grew to 26 midway through the third.
The tough outing went on for the 5-14 Bullets as the margin kept growing which led to the bottom-placed side suffering their ninth loss of the season by a margin of 15 points or more.
Open roof was pretty, the rest of it not so much
The half-time light show during the round 13 NBL match between South East Melbourne Phoenix and Brisbane Bullets at John Cain Arena on December 20, 2025 in Melbourne. Photo: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
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.
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Phoenix prevail over Bullets in open-air game
Nathan Sobey top-scored against his former team as ruthless South East Melbourne poured more heat on crisis-ridden Brisbane in a crushing 107-78 NBL win.
Sobey had 20 points and eight assists in a starring role under clear skies at John Cain Arena on Saturday night in the Phoenix's annual open-air game.
Hunter Maldonado (18 points) and Wes Iwundu (13) also shone in a dominant team display, while third-placed SEM advanced to 13-6 with their seventh win by a margin of 20-plus points this season.
It was a third-straight thrashing of Brisbane by Josh King's title-hunting outfit, after road wins by 23 and 27 points earlier in the campaign.
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