A superb return performance from Kendric Davis wasn’t enough to stop the Adelaide 36ers’ free fall on Sunday, as the Bryce Cotton-inspired Perth Wildcats coming from behind to score a 10-point win that consigned Mike Wells’ side to a fourth loss in a row.
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After a quiet opening term, Cotton caught fire to record a third game with 40-plus points, becoming the first player to do so since Andrew Gaze in 1991, as the Wildcats came from as much as 13 points down in the second quarter to improve to a 9-8 record.
In a jaw-dropping display, Cotton’s stunning 49 points included a buzzer-beating half-courter to end the first half.
After winning 10 games in a row at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the 36ers have lost back-to-back games on their home court to slip to ninth spot on the ladder with a 6-8 record.
Both teams were missing key players, Adelaide without DJ Vasiljevic (hamstring) and Montrezl Harrell (suspension), and Perth Keanu Pinder (illness) and Kristian Doolittle (groin).
But that didn’t affect their offensive firepower in an entertaining blow-for-blow shootout.
Led by the hot hand of Davis, the 36ers surged to their equal highest first-quarter score of the season and their highest first-half score of the season to lead by six points at the main break.
Despite trailing for the entire first half, the visitors rallied to outscore the home side in the third quarter and sealed the result with a 36-23 final term.
Davis, playing his first game back since his controversial two-game suspension for his involvement in the ugly scenes against Melbourne United, drained a season-high 37 points, with 11 assists, with Isaac Humphries next best for the 36ers with a season-high 25 points.
Cotton largely played a lone hand on offence for the first three quarters, he was the only Perth player with a double-digit score at three-quarter time, but Dylan Windler and Ben Henshall chimed in late.
DECH DEPARTS
Adelaide suffered a huge blow when Sunday Dech clutched at his left hamstring and immediately left the floor with just under two minutes to go in the first half.
Not only had Dech done a good defensive job on Cotton, but he was also second in scoring behind Davis with 13 points, including two triples, when he pulled up sore.
Cotton, coming off back-to-back games scoring 59 and 40 points, was held to just six points in the first quarter by Dech.
But the Wildcats’ superstar imposed his considerable influence from there on.
LESSON LEARNT
Davis spoke about his part in the much-discussed melee against Melbourne United for the first time.
“I could have handled the situation better,” Davis told ESPN.
“I think we all could have – the fans, me, Melbourne – we don’t want that in our game.
“Playing basketball is a privilege, watching it is a privilege, and it was a lesson learned.”
DJ UPDATE
Vasiljevic missed his second game with a hamstring injury picked up in a loss to Tasmania, and his return remains unclear.
“It’s been a long week, I’ve been sleeping in the recovery place and doing all of the necessary things,” Vasiljevic told ESPN.
“Hopefully I’ll get back to running next week and just build from there.
“(My return) is really just about how I feel. I feel good now, but I don’t know until I start running, so I can’t really make a judgement when to come back.”
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