A serious knee injury kept him off the pine last season and the former Chicago Bulls big has slowly increased the length of his stints on court for the Bullets since his return.

"Just to being back playing, and basically every game, is a big win," he said.

"It's reassuring that I keep improving and so has my feel for the game.

"Slow progress, but it's progressing forward, not just hitting a plateau where you start doubting yourself."

The Brisbane native has averaged nearly 12 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes per game this season.

He averaged around 20 points and five rebounds in back-to-back games against Sydney but managed just one point in a loss to Cairns last weekend that could cripple their finals run.

The Bullets must hope Adelaide lose on Friday night in Perth and then beat New Zealand on Saturday to jump the 36ers into the top four.

Bairstow copped a baking from former Bullet and Boomers sharp-shooter Shane Heal, who is a noted fan of the 28-year-old.

"I need to perform for this team to be successful," Bairstow said.

"Hopefully I can do a better job tomorrow night, but sometimes you have those games."

Coach Andrej Lemanis said Bairstow's resurgence had gone as expected.

"His ability to help us is continuing to get better and another couple of weeks under his belt won't hurt it," he said of the forward's potential finals impact.

Australian Associated Press