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Bryce Cotton has produced another dazzling individual performance as the Perth Wildcats defeated the Adelaide 36ers.
Bryce Cotton has taken his purple patch of form to historic heights with another virtuosic scoring effort in Perth's 115-105 NBL win over Adelaide.
With 49 points on Sunday, Cotton became the first NBL player since Andrew Gaze in 1991 to score 40 or more points in three consecutive games.
Even then, Gaze, widely regarded the NBL's greatest-ever player, achieved the feat when quarters were 12 minutes long rather than 10.
American guard Cotton, who scored 59 and 40 points in his previous two games, will surely be attracting international interest in the final year of his Wildcats contract.
His 59-point game was the most prolific for any NBL player in the 40-minute era, with his latest effort the equal fourth-best.
"I just enjoy being able to compete," Cotton said of his form.
"The way I've always approached the game is I treat everybody the same, I treat every team the same.
"That way I'm able to put forward the maximum effort and then I just live with the results."
Cotton pitched in five assists and rebounds for good measure in Adelaide on Sunday and will be backed for another big game in Perth's next game against Cairns, who are on an 11-game losing streak.
Sunday Dech's hamstring injury thwarted the Sixers in their attempts to contain Cotton.
Adelaide's best defender, Dech had been marking Cotton and restricted him to only six points in the first quarter before going down in the second.
"I'm not the medical guy so I'm not really sure (how bad the injury is). Obviously that was a huge blow to us," said Sixers coach Mike Wells.
Kendric Davis, on return from a highly-publicised suspension, was tasked with containing Cotton thereafter and had a tougher time despite an excellent scoring game.
Banned for two games for his role in a courtside scuffle with fans, Davis was the Sixers' best with a season-high 37 points and 11 assists.
Adelaide big man Isaac Humphries was also an imposing presence in the post with 25 points.
But the afternoon belonged to Cotton, who silenced the home crowd with a three-pointer from half-court that beat the buzzer for three-quarter time.
Ben Henshall was crucial for the Wildcats with eight fourth-quarter points when the game was in the balance after that.
He hit a triple that restored the lead midway through the term, with the visitors in the lead for the remainder of the game.
"Unfortunately as the game wore on, other guys started making shots and Bryce was having his way too," Wells said.
"You tap your hat to him because he's a pro but as soon as other people start joining in, the job becomes a little bit tougher."
The loss pushes Adelaide to ninth spot on the ladder, the 36ers in desperate need of a victory against the New Zealand Breakers next Saturday.
Veteran Jesse Wagstaff suffered an ankle injury during the fourth quarter in the only sour note for Perth.
