A dominant final quarter has handed the Brisbane Bullets a spiteful 86-73 win over the Sydney Kings and their fourth victory of the NBL season.
There was no love lost between the sides, who had met each other twice already this season for one win apiece, with plenty of niggle and unsportsmanlike fouls during the Thursday night contest, which eventually spilt over into a mid-court scuffle during the third quarter.
Sydney's Brad Newley (27 points) led all scorers at the Brisbane Convention Centre, with Torrey Craig bagging 18 points and four rebounds for the Bullets, who outscored the Kings 24-13 in the final quarter.
The result takes Brisbane to a 4-4 win-loss record for the season, while the Kings remain on top of the NBL ladder with 6-3.
Sydney jumped the Bullets early in the first quarter as the hosts struggled in the foul department, with the Kings in the bonus after only three-and-a-half minutes.
The Kings took a 22-19 lead into the second stanza and pulled away to a seven-point lead until a four-point play by Jermaine Beal handed momentum back to the Bullets.
Back-to-back Brisbane three-pointers brought the house down late in the quarter, which spurred Brisbane to a 12-4 run to take a 39-33 lead at halftime.
The intensity stepped up after the main break and so did Sydney guard Newley, who drained 16 points in the third to keep the Kings within striking distance as they trailed by two heading into the final stretch.
It took more than two minutes of fourth-quarter action for a basket to drop as both sides stepped up on the defensive end.
With points at a premium, the Bullets shot out to a seven-point lead inside the final three minutes and the Kings crumbled even further in the late stages to eventually fall by 13 points.
The Bullets holding the Kings to only 13 points in the fourth quarter was much to the delight of coach Andrej Lemanis, who had been keen for his side to correct their recent defensive frailties.
"Defence is obviously very important particularly for who we are as a team at the moment," he said.
"That's where improvement comes for us because when you leak points it's hard to build any momentum.
"We've been showing focus and intent in patches during the season but tonight we were able to maintain that intensity for the majority of the game."
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