Lemanis in praise for depth of his roster

BRISBANE coach Andrej Lemanis has praised the strong depth of his team’s roster, which looms as a key factor in the Bullets’ press for a NBL playoff berth.

In Saturday’s stunning, come-from-behind 102-90 triumph over the Adelaide 36ers, former Chicago Bull Cam Bairstow was productive early, import Lamar Patterson took over in the middle stages and captain Cam Gliddon controlled the fourth-quarter fightback.

At various stages, ex-sixer Matt Hodgson, Jason Cadee and Reuben Te Rangi also took turns in making life difficult for the 36ers, who saw their 11-point lead just before three-quarter-time vanish.

“Our biggest strength is our depth,” Lemanis said.

“We can play 11 guys deep and that enables us to sustain a level and an energy over the course of 40 minutes.

“We’re an efficient offensive team. As a group we feel comfortable and confident we can score. It’s about getting stops for us.”

Swingman Patterson fell just short of a triple double after compiling 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Lemanis paid tribute to the basketball smarts of the former Atlanta Hawk who, after replacing import Alonzo Gee in October, ranks fifth in the NBL in scoring, ninth in assists and third in steals.

“One of the great things about Lamar is he absolutely gets the game and he wants the team to succeed,” Lemanis said.

• The Illawarra Hawks have stunned the top-ranked Sydney Kings with an impressive 96-84 win in the NBL.

The Kings were looking to extend their lead at the top of the ladder with a third consecutive win but came unstuck at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney against the seventh-placed Hawks. The Hawks rocked the home side with a devastating 14-0 run to open the second quarter on their way to taking an eight-point lead at the main break.