Wildcats’ Cotton has fourth consecutive 40-point game

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Wildcats’ Cotton has fourth consecutive 40-point game

NBL superstar Bryce Cotton has produced his fourth consecutive 40-point game to help Perth consign Cairns to their 12th consecutive loss.

The red-hot American guard finished Saturday night’s thumping 128-92 win with 44 points and six assists, and has scored a combined total of 192 points in his past four games.

To put Cotton’s form into perspective, the 32-year-old was not even born the last time an NBL player scored 40 or more points in four consecutive games.

Andrew Gaze achieved the feat in May 1991 but even then, the man widely regarded the NBL’s greatest player did so when quarters were two minutes longer.

Cotton is firming as the unbackable favourite to claim a fifth NBL MVP award as the Wildcats plot to retain him beyond the final season of his contract.

He shook off a slow start at the Cairns Convention Centre, where the Taipans threatened to pull off an almighty upset.

The last-placed Snakes led their highly-fancied rivals for the entire first half, restricting Cotton to only four first-quarter points by double-teaming him in defence.

With 45 seconds remaining in the term, Cotton had not scored a point, and started the second quarter on the bench.

Taipans import Rob Edwards was particularly effective guarding Cotton as teammate Taran Armstrong led the charge up the other end.

Rated a future NBA prospect, Armstrong (24 points, eight assists) looked ready to outshine his superstar rival guard, at times embarrassing some pedestrian Wildcats defence in the paint.

But once the visitors began to find fluency in their ball movement, Cotton rediscovered his groove and the Taipans began to fade – a recurrent problem this season.

Impressively, Cotton’s haul included only three three-pointers, the American finding success taking on much ******* men inside the key.

Cotton passed 40 points running into the paint to land a mid-range jump shot with three minutes remaining in the game.

Dylan Windler (18 points) provided another attacking outlet for Perth as they found their rhythm, the former NBA first-round draft pick finishing with five triples to his name.

He closed the gap to three points with one of those from outside in the third quarter, forcing a Cairns timeout as the Wildcats smelt their first lead.

It came not long after through a Ben Henshall three, the Wildcats going into party mode thereafter.

The Taipans last won a game in the first week of October and travel to Brisbane for their next attempt at a drought-breaking victory.

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