Defeated Bullets query court safety as injuries mount

Brisbane coach Justin Schueller wants answers as an injury-riddled loss to South East Melbourne came after he had raised concerns over the safety of the venue.

The Phoenix came from 11 points down to beat the Bullets 105-86 on Saturday night at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium in Traralgon.

Former Bullets captain Nathan Sobey (31 points, seven assists, five rebounds) led the comeback against the side he left in messy circumstances after five seasons last year.

Both squads left the sold-out clash with major injury concerns, Phoenix (12-10) moving up to fifth while the Bullets (10-12) remain two wins outside the top six.

Phoenix guard Derrick Walton Jnr (hamstring) was an early casualty, appearing to slip as he drove to the rim in the first quarter and screaming as he hobbled to the sideline.

Bullets forward Josh Bannan (knee) also slipped in the same part of the court as he attempted to stand up in the final quarter, while Schueller said Deng Adel (groin) had also injured himself when he slipped.

The Bullets were already without centre Tyrell Harrison, who displayed delayed concussion symptoms on arrival while Emmett Naar (oblique) played just 45 seconds.

Bullets guard Mitch Norton also played through a hand injury suffered when he fell into the front row after completing a tough lay-up.

Unprompted, Schueller addressed his concerns post-match, claiming the air-conditioning hadn't been turned on early enough to handle the steamy, slippery conditions.

"We were frustrated with the safety of the venue before the game; we raised those issues and we've taken another four injuries through this contest," he said.

"That's a frustration right now we need to get some answers on.

"When you're told to 'just deal with it' when those things are raised.

"When we had our bodies we showed we were as good, if not better (than the Phoenix)."

Schueller said he was also "really disappointed with some of the comments" from the Phoenix after injuries, but refused to elaborate when asked.

"We'll remember that for the future," the coach offered.

The Phoenix, who have won seven of their last nine, relied on Sobey and Matt Hurt (29 points and 12 rebounds at 70 per cent shooting) to offset the early damage done by Bannan (23 points, nine rebounds) and Casey Prather (21 points, 11 rebounds).

Coach Josh King hopes Walton Jnr's injury isn't "as bad as we think it could be" and agreed the court was slippery.

"The floor ... I can honestly say I don't think the floor was 100 per cent good tonight," he said.

"We both had to play on ... a less-than-perfect floor (but) there's less-than-perfect conditions sometimes in basketball and sport."

King's mid-season arrival and Walton Jnr's form had catapulted the team into championship conversation.

"It's his hamstring; we won't know until they test it but any time you have soft tissue it's not good," King said.

"He's been playing really well and really elevated the level of our team."