NBL game reviews – 2026-01-26

Scoreline and Game Flow

The final scoreline tells the story: Brisbane Bullets 113, Illawarra Hawks 75.

Brisbane controlled the tempo and scoreboard from the outset:

• 1st quarter: Bullets 22 – 11 Hawks
• 2nd quarter: Bullets 33 – 20 Hawks
• Halftime: Bullets 55 – 31 Hawks
• 3rd quarter: Bullets 41 – 21 Hawks
• 4th quarter: Hawks 23 – 17 Bullets
• 2nd half: Bullets 58 – 44 Hawks

Brisbane won the first three quarters convincingly, building a 24-point lead at the half and then absolutely exploding with 41 points in the third term. By the time the Hawks finally outscored the Bullets in the last quarter, the contest was already well and truly decided.

Illawarra’s offence just couldn’t keep pace early, putting up only 11 points in the first and 31 for the half, while Brisbane’s attack was humming from multiple spots on the floor.

Illawarra Hawks – Scoring & Playmaking

Despite the big margin, a few Hawks players put together solid individual stat lines.

• Hunter Maldonado led the way with 20 points, adding 4 assists and 2 steals. His all-round impact shows up in his 26 PRA (points + rebounds + assists) and 22 PR (points + rebounds), making him Illawarra’s most productive player on the night.
• Taine Murray was another key contributor with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, good for 25 PRA and a strong 20 PR. He also knocked down 3 three-pointers, giving the Hawks some much-needed perimeter scoring.
• Mitchell Norton chipped in with 12 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, totalling 16 PRA and 13 PR. He also picked up 2 steals, trying to lift the intensity defensively.
• Terry Taylor put up 10 points and 6 rebounds (for 16 PRA and 16 PR), plus 1 block and 1 steal, a solid two-way effort in a tough matchup.
• Jacob Holt added 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists (13 PRA, 10 PR).
• Off the bench, Jensen Bradtke, Tristan Devers, Jack Purchase, Callum Dalton and Tohi Smith‑Milner all contributed on the fringes, but none cracked double figures in scoring.

From a turnovers and defensive disruption point of view:

• Maldonado had 5 turnovers, which, combined with his usage, reflects how much he had the ball in hand trying to generate something.
• Dalton and Holt had 3 turnovers each, adding to Illawarra’s ball security issues.
• On the positive side, Maldonado, Norton and Devers each recorded steals, with Norton and Maldonado grabbing 2 apiece.

In terms of overall contribution (turnovers, steals and blocks combined), Maldonado finished with 7 on the “tos + steals + blocks” metric, Norton had 3 and Dalton 3 as well – again underscoring how central they were to the Hawks’ play.

Illawarra Hawks – Rebounding & Shooting

On the boards, Illawarra spread the work but didn’t quite match Brisbane’s impact:

• Taine Murray led the Hawks with 6 rebounds.
• Terry Taylor also grabbed 6 boards.
• Holt and Smith‑Milner provided some support with 3 rebounds each.

From deep, the main threats were:

• Murray – 3 three-pointers.
• Maldonado, Holt and Norton – 2, 1 and 1 threes respectively.

Those outside makes were handy, but overall the Hawks simply didn’t generate enough efficient looks to keep pace with a Bullets side that had multiple scoring options rolling.

Brisbane Bullets – Balanced, High-Octane Offence

Brisbane’s 113 points were the product of a genuinely balanced team performance. Several Bullets players posted eye-catching stat lines:

• Tyler Harvey was a standout with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. That gave him:
  • 33 PRA
  • 28 PR
  • 27 PA (points + assists)
  He also dropped 2 three-pointers and, crucially, did all this without registering a turnover, which is huge from a guard leading the offence.
• JaVale McGee dominated the interior with 18 points and 10 rebounds, delivering a big double-double type effort reflected in:
  • 29 PRA
  • 28 PR
  • 19 PA
  He also tallied 1 steal and committed 2 turnovers, with a tos + steals + blocks total of 3.
• William Hickey filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 3 rebounds and a team-high 7 assists. He finished with:
  • 27 PRA
  • 20 PR
  • 24 PA
  Plus 1 steal and no turnovers, highlighting how efficient he was as a playmaker.
• Sam Froling was strong up front with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists:
  • 24 PRA
  • 19 PR
  • 19 PA
  He also added 1 block and had 2 turnovers.
• Q.J. Peterson provided punch with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, giving him:
  • 21 PRA
  • 17 PR
  • 19 PA
  From long range, he was particularly dangerous, hitting 3 three-pointers.
• Daniel Grida was another key contributor off the ball with 13 points, 3 rebounds and a pair of steals. His lines:
  • 16 PRA
  • 16 PR
  • 13 PA
  He also knocked down 1 three.
• Veteran Todd Blanchfield added 10 points, 5 boards and 1 assist, for:
  • 16 PRA
  • 15 PR
  • 11 PA
  Plus a three-pointer and 1 steal without a turnover.
• Sam Froling, Hickey, Harvey and Peterson formed an especially potent offensive core that Illawarra simply couldn’t slow down over four quarters.

Brisbane Bullets – Rebounding, Defence and Ball Security

Across the board, Brisbane were cleaner and more effective in the key hustle areas:

• On the glass, McGee led with 10 rebounds, while Tyler Harvey, William Hickey and Sam Froling all chipped in with between 3 and 6 boards. Froling’s 10 RA (rebounds + assists) and McGee’s 11 RA underline their all-round impact.
• Defensively, Brisbane created problems for the Hawks:
  • Daniel Grida – 2 steals
  • JaVale McGee – 1 steal
  • Hickey, Bayles and Blanchfield – 1 steal each
  • Froling and Wani Lodu Swaka Lo Buluk – 1 block each
• Their combined steals + blocks output was spread across the roster, with Grida, McGee, Froling and others posting between 1 and 3 in the “tos + steals + blocks” category.
• In terms of turnovers, Brisbane were generally tidy. No player hit more than 2 turnovers, with Bayles, Froling and McGee the only ones at that mark. Several key playmakers – including Hickey, Harvey, Blanchfield and Grida – finished with 0 turnovers, a big plus when you’re running the bulk of the offence.

That control of the ball, combined with active hands on defence, helped Brisbane maintain their lead and convert stops into efficient scoring opportunities the other way.

Three-Point Shooting and Perimeter Threats

From outside the arc, Brisbane had multiple weapons:

• Q.J. Peterson – 3 threes
• Tyler Harvey – 2 threes
• Hickey, Blanchfield and Grida – 1 three each

Illawarra, by comparison, leaned heavily on Murray (3 threes) and Maldonado (2 threes) with some support from Holt and Norton. That difference in spread three-point threats made it harder for the Hawks to close out on shooters without giving up driving lanes or mismatches inside.

For total offensive impact, Harvey (33 PRA), McGee (29 PRA), Hickey (27 PRA) and Peterson (21 PRA) were the clear centrepieces of Brisbane’s attack.

Hawks vs Bullets – What the Numbers Tell Bettors

Looking purely at the numbers from this game:

• Brisbane had more high-impact players in the 20+ PRA range, spreading the scoring load across the roster.
• Illawarra relied heavily on Maldonado and Murray, with a noticeable drop-off behind them in scoring output.
• The Bullets dominated the middle two quarters, outscoring the Hawks 74–41 across the 2nd and 3rd periods alone.
• Key Bullets playmakers (Hickey, Harvey, Peterson, Froling) not only scored but also generated plenty of assists without turning the ball over excessively.
• On the defensive side, Brisbane converted pressure into steals and kept Illawarra from finding a consistent rhythm, particularly in the first half.

For punters, these trends are worth tracking across the season – teams with diverse scoring and multiple players around that 20–30 PRA range tend to be more reliable against the line, especially when they protect the ball and rebound well.