Adelaide 36ers star Bryce Cotton was locked in a zone as Perth Wildcats wait for David Duke injury news

Adelaide 36ers coach Mike Wells has revealed he saw a different side of Bryce Cotton during his 36-point scoring spree against the Perth Wildcats on Sunday, saying he now understands what it is like to see the superstar when he’s in the zone. Cotton led Adelaide to a 95-84 win over his former team, despite trailing by 14 points in the first quarter. It was the third time this season that Cotton had played against the Wildcats, and he produced his best performance with six three-pointers and seven assists to accompany his 36 points. “He had the look in his eye. At times, he was telling us ‘get everybody out of my way,” Wells said. “He was locked in the zone, and he wanted to go. We’re still getting to know him a little bit when he gets locked into that sort of thing. But I saw the look, and I think his team saw the look.” The Wildcats’ chances of stopping Cotton suffered a massive blow after only three minutes when import David Duke jnr hyper-extended his elbow during a rebounding contest. He quickly left the court and spent the rest of the game icing his left arm from the bench. Coach John Rillie is holding his breath to learn more about the injury. The Wildcats have experienced a challenging run with injuries, given Jaron Rillie (hamstring), Ben Henshall (calf) and Jesse Wagstaff (hamstring) all returned against Adelaide, Dylan Windler (ankle) spent the week in doubt, and Dontae Russo-Nance couldn’t play due to illness. “We’re just a little thin right now in that position,” Rillie said. “Obviously, with Duke, it would be great to have him defending Bryce. But right now, with our roster, he has a lot of responsibility offensively as well. It was like a double-whammy when he went out. “We’ve been fortunate enough to re-gain some guys, so we can move forward in that area. I always preach to our guys that they can be upset that they’re not playing, but at some stage they will get their opportunity, and when that comes along, they’ve got to run with it. “It’s unfortunate for David, but someone else will get their chance. Everyone, when they’re not playing, thinks they’re a really good player and can help to affect and impact winning, so when you get your moment - there you go.” The loss again highlighted Perth’s inability to play consistently for an entire game. They managed only nine points during the third quarter, and neither Windler nor Jo Lual-Acuil scored in the second half. Kristian Doolittle top-scored for Perth with 17 points, and Rillie said he needed more support. “We lean on Doolittle to do a lot of things for us,” Rillie said. “He defends someone in the front court who is a good player, initiates offence and scores. So when primary ball handlers are out of the game, it puts a lot of heat on him. In a way that’s unfair. We ask and demand a lot of Doo.”