Nathan Sobey’s return to Brisbane has ended in disappointment, with the South East Melbourne Phoenix coughing up a 15-point lead on the way to a 116-108 NBL loss to the Bullets.
Sobey was controversially let go by the Bullets at the end of last season, and all the focus heading into Thursday night’s match was on how the 34-year-old would fare on his old stamping ground.
The former Bullets skipper made a hot start to the match, and the Phoenix were on track for victory after opening up a 63-48 lead early in the third quarter.
But Keandre Cook’s career-high 33-point haul and 16 second-half points to Casey Prather got the Bullets over the line.
“I’m super happy, proud of my team,” Cook told ESPN.
“We fought back. We got off to a slow start, but we stuck together, and it showed at the end of the game.
“The coach got on us (at halftime), we got on each other. We knew we had to fix a lot of things in the second half. We got it done.”
Tyrell Harrison (23 points) and James Batemon (16) were also crucial for Brisbane.
Sobey finished with 25 points, while Matt Hurt was huge for the Phoenix with 27 points on 11-of-11 shooting.
Brisbane’s third win on the trot improved their record to 7-7, while the Phoenix are now 7-9.
Sobey came out firing from the outset, hitting a big three on the way to nine first-quarter points as South East Melbourne took a 34-26 lead into the first break.
Angus Glover was also hot for the Phoenix with 10 points for the term, but Bullets import Cook nailed a three-pointer on the buzzer to reduce the damage.
The Phoenix went cold from long range in the second quarter, but 12 points from Hurt gave the visitors a 59-48 lead at halftime.
Phoenix Next Stars talent Malique Lewis enjoyed a magical minute in the second quarter, nailing five quick points before pulling off a huge block on Cook.
Cook was flattened in the play and initially appeared injured, but he was able to play on.
The Bullets committed 12 turnovers in the first half, while the Phoenix only had six.
Bullets star Prather was held scoreless from 11 minutes of action in the first half, but exploded early in the third quarter with eight quick points as Brisbane erased a 15-point deficit within six minutes.
With everything to play for in the final quarter, it was Brisbane who pulled off the big plays, with the Phoenix struggling to contain the might of Cook and Prather.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/bullets-comeback-sours-sobeys-return-to-brisbane-c-17064738
