THE FORM of superstar point guard Bryce Cotton has been irresistible of late, and he has shown no signs of slowing down after another match-winning performance in the big win over the Cairns Taipans last weekend.

Cotton came into the Perth Wildcats‘ matchup against the bottom-placed Taipans in career-best form, having recorded 40 or more points in his previous three outings. It was highlighted by a 59-point performance against the New Zealand Breakers a couple of weeks ago, which was the highest scoring game in the NBL’s 10-minute era.

It was a favourable matchup against Cairns, given the Taipans came into the match on an 11-game losing streak and were comfortably sitting on the bottom of the ladder by a significant margin. On the other hand, Perth is looking to contend come season’s end and its form reflects that.

Despite being underdogs, the Taipans were actually looking good early in the match, and even led by five points early in the third term. However, the Wildcats rallied behind their point guard and completely flipped the script in the final two quarters to claim a massive 36-point win to continue their surge up the ladder in the back half of the season.

As always, the barometer for Perth was Cotton, who overcame a slow start to the game to continue his red-hot form of late and lead the Wildcats to their 10th win of the season, which sees the team sit in fourth spot.

Cairns Taipans (92) def. by Perth Wildcats (128)

Bryce Cotton – 44 points, three rebounds, six assists, one steal, two blocks

Although it may have seemed as if Cotton’s insane run came to an end, he kept it going with a masterful second half to become the first player in 30 years to record four consecutive games of 40-plus points in the NBL.

Much of Cairns’ early success was due to the fact that the Taipans were doing a great job at keeping the four-time MVP quiet. Cotton was held to just four points in the first quarter and had only 16 at the half. That may still seem like a big number for every other player, but given the guard’s recent feat, it was considered a win for the home side.

However, he once again erupted in the second half and looked completely unstoppable at times with ball in hand, creating shots from just about anywhere as he toyed with the Taipans defence and got to his spots with no trouble at all.

Cotton’s shot-creation is unmatched in the NBL, and he showed a deep array of offensive moves for the fourth game in a row. Whether it was taking the defender off the dribble and knocking down step-back triples, or driving past the Taipans and putting up shots underneath the hoop, there was no stopping Cotton.

From the field, he shot 17/27 in an extremely efficient performance given his output, showing just how well he was seeing the basket.

Now all eyes will turn to the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Illawarra Hawks, and whether Cotton can somehow keep his current form rolling.