Bryce Cotton fought back tears and an apparent bout of nausea as he inspired the Adelaide 36ers to a 97-85 defeat of defending NBL champions the Illawarra Hawks.
The Sixers’ star recruit appeared proppy as Wednesday night’s Ignite Cup clash hung in the balance during the third quarter at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Club stuff told AAP he had been experiencing mid-game nausea, but during the final term he was also seen wiping away tears after embracing club staff courtside during a break in play.
The apparent pain did little to discourage Cotton, who stepped up for the Sixers after the Hawks had led at the first two changes and threatened to break through for a first win in Adelaide since 2021.
Cotton (31 points, 13 assists) had gone scoreless through the first term but then hit two three-pointers inside two minutes of the second quarter, the second forcing a Hawks timeout.
In the third term, Cotton feasted on inexperienced opposite man Johny Narkle with his footwork, shooting yet another three through Narkle’s foul on a four-point play then stepping around him for a deep two.
The American-born combo guard finished with six three-pointers from 10 attempts.
Cotton’s combination with Isaac Humphries was particularly valuable and helped the big man to outshine his opposite centre – three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee (12 points, 10 rebounds).
Cotton dished up three assists to Humphries (22 points, nine rebounds) in the third quarter alone, notably popping the ball up for the big man to land a two-handed dunk through the lane.
With Cotton in fine touch, the Sixers finished the third term on a 10-2 run that handed the hosts a lead they never surrendered.
A particular highlight came in the final two minutes of the game as Cotton sent a long pass into the key for a flying Zylan Cheatham (12 points, seven assists) to throw down an alley-oop.
The Hawks have now lost seven consecutive games in Adelaide and have a 4-8 record begin their championship defence.
Quentin Peterson’s five three-pointers from seven attempts were a bright spot for a Hawks side that came up short of answers once the league’s biggest star began rolling.
In a moment of late drama, referees ejected Sixers import Nick Rakocevic for leaving the bench and entering the court during a fracas between McGee and Cheatham.
But by that point, the result was beyond doubt.
