Down by 11 in the second quarter, the Firebirds fought their way back to snatch the lead late in the final quarter but couldn't hold off the Giants in front of another bumper crowd at Nissan Arena as the visitors walked away with a 68-63 win.
A flurry of Suncorp Super Shots by veteran Jo Harten in her 200th national league appearance enabled the Giants to take a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and the visitors extended that lead to 11 by halfway through the second term.
The Firebirds however rallied with Abigail Latu-Meafou nailing three two-pointers of her own as the hosts won the second term 20-16 to be down by just three at the main break.
The home team's comeback continued in the third quarter with an Emily Moore Super Shot right on the buzzer meaning the Firebirds won the third term 16-14 and were down by just one going into the last 15 minutes of the match.
Within four minutes of the final quarter starting that margin had been wiped with the Firebirds now in front.
A defensive rebound by Ruby Bakewell-Doran allowed the Firebirds' lead to skip out to three points and hopes of drought-breaking win were starting to rise before Matisse Leatherbarrow's three unanswered Suncorp Super Shots turned the game in the Giants favour.
Mary Cholhok led the way for the Firebirds with 36 points including one Suncorp Super Shot while Lara Dunkley - who posted three gains - and Macy Gardner stood tall in midcourt in the absence of injured co-captain Hulita Veve.
Bakewell-Doran was again a standout at the back with four gains, three deflections and three rebounds.
The Firebirds hit the road next week to face the Melbourne Vixens at John Cain Arena in a First Nations Round clash on Sunday, July 6.
Watch the action live and exclusive on Kayo, Foxtel and Binge.
