Kristian Doolittle has given NBL SuperCoach coaches an early Round 8 reminder that a double-game week can still deliver value when the first result goes against his team. Perth lost 109–104 in Brisbane on Wednesday, but Doolittle finished with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. His next assignment is Cairns at RAC Arena on Sunday, 8 November.
The shape of that performance matters as much as the points. Doolittle's nine assists showed how much of Perth's attack ran through him during a comeback from a 27-point deficit. The NBL match report also credits him with two blocks and five makes from eight three-point attempts. That is a broad statistical contribution, rather than a scoring night dependent on one hot shooting stretch.
Perth's supporting cast provided useful clues without settling anyone's fantasy outlook. Anthony Dell'Orso scored 20, Elijah Pepper added 19 and Alex Higgins-Titsha finished with 11 points and five rebounds in just 14 minutes. Higgins-Titsha's plus-20 was eye-catching in a five-point defeat, but a short, effective stint is not evidence that his next rotation will look the same. Coaches need the minutes as well as the headline numbers.
Brisbane's side of the box score was spread around. Tyrell Harrison led the Bullets with 16 points in 21 minutes, adding five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Nate Hinton supplied 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks, while Taine Murray and Lat Mayen each scored 14. The official result confirms that Raul Neto did not return after half-time, having produced 10 points and eight assists. The reason and his availability for Saturday against Melbourne United require a separate club update; his absence from the second half alone does not establish an injury diagnosis.
That leaves a very different fantasy question for each team. Perth have already banked Doolittle's all-round output and get another chance on Sunday; Brisbane have a second fixture on Saturday but must clarify their guard rotation before anyone assumes Neto's first-half playmaking workload will continue. Mitch Norton started the second half against Perth and helped close the game, although one substitution pattern should not be treated as a permanent depth-chart change.
Round 8 has only just begun. Cairns host Illawarra on Thursday, with Brisbane travelling to Melbourne on Saturday and Perth hosting Cairns on Sunday, according to the official Round 8 fixture list. This is an opening Fantasy Lab read, not the completed-round verdict. The useful watchpoints are Doolittle's repeatable ball-handling role, Brisbane's verified guard availability and whether those short-burst contributions turn into sustained minutes. For broader double-game planning, the Buckets NBL SuperCoach guide remains the starting point.
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