Max Mackinnon has 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists as the Bullets beat the Phoenix 115-105

Max Mackinnon did a bit of everything for the Brisbane Bullets on Thursday night. He scored 24 points, hit four threes, and had eight rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes, and Brisbane beat the South East Melbourne Phoenix 115-105 at home.

The win evened Brisbane's record at 3-3. The Phoenix fell to 2-5.

How it went

The Phoenix led 3-2 in the opening minutes, and the lead changed hands a few more times early. Then Brisbane went in front 9-8 with 7:08 left in the first quarter and stayed there for the rest of the game. The Bullets led 30-24 after one, but South East Melbourne won the second quarter 31-26, and it was only 56-55 at half-time.

Brisbane opened the third quarter with 10 straight points for a 66-55 lead, and stretched it to 15 at 80-65 with 4:51 left in the quarter. The Phoenix answered with an 8-0 run to get within 81-78. It was 90-84 after three.

Angus Glover made the fourth quarter tense. He hit a 25-foot three with 6:41 left and a 27-footer 51 seconds later, and South East Melbourne was within 99-94 with 5:50 to play. That was as close as it got. Mawot Mag scored on a layup from a Mitchell Norton pass, and Mackinnon hit a 25-foot three for a 104-94 lead with 5:13 left. Nate Hinton then scored on a layup and a dunk, and it was 110-98 with 2:35 to go.

Lat Mayen made two free throws for a 111-100 lead with 1:31 left. Dash Daniels hit a three to make it 111-105 with 27 seconds left, but Jaylin Williams answered with a dunk from Mackinnon, and Hinton added a layup at the end.

Brisbane moved the ball all night. The Bullets had 31 assists to the Phoenix's 17, and they grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. The Phoenix forced turnovers, with 10 steals, but Brisbane led for all but the first few minutes of the game.

The numbers

Williams scored 19 on 8-of-11 shooting, and Brisbane outscored the Phoenix by 27 points while he was on the floor. Hinton had 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Tyrell Harrison and Mayen scored 14 each, Jacob Holt 13 off the bench, and Norton had 11 points and nine assists. Brisbane shot 56 percent from the field, 44 of 79, and its starters scored 84 of the 115 points.

Glover led the Phoenix with 27 points off the bench in 23 minutes, on 9-of-14 shooting. Skylar Mays scored 20 and made 8 of 10 free throws, Nathan Sobey had 15, and Tanner Krebs and Daniels 12 each. South East Melbourne made 26 of 28 free throws, but Brisbane won the rebounding 40-26.

Scoring: Bullets 115-105 Phoenix

Bullets: Max Mackinnon 24, Jaylin Williams 19, Nate Hinton 16, Tyrell Harrison 14, Lat Mayen 14, Jacob Holt 13, Mitchell Norton 11, Mawot Mag 4, Harry Rouhliadeff 0, Joshua Duach 0.

Phoenix: Angus Glover 27, Skylar Mays 20, Nathan Sobey 15, Tanner Krebs 12, Dash Daniels 12, D'Shawn Schwartz 8, Akech Allir 7, Yannis Morin 2, Patrick Ryan 2, Daniel Foster 0.

By quarter: Bullets 30, 26, 34, 25. Phoenix 24, 31, 29, 21.