Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton scored 40 points for fourth NBL game in a row

Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton had written his name into another record book with a fourth consecutive 40-point game to continue an extraordinary December.

The superstar scored 44 points as the Wildcats beat Cairns 128-92 in Queensland and continued a run of form not seen this century.

Cotton set a modern-day 40-minute record when he scored 59 points at home on December 1, then followed up with another 40 points in his next game. But he wasn’t done. He then went to Adelaide and pumped out 49 points.

Cotton would have entered the game confident given he scored 35 points against the Taipans earlier in the season.

Cotton had a quiet first quarter as his shots refused to drop amid intense pressure from Cairns. They sent multiple defenders to him every time he had the ball as they made it clear they were determined to make him pass to other players.

He missed his first four shots and didn’t open his scoring account until there was 40 seconds left in the term. He made two free throws to get a score on the board.

But he quickly followed up with another basket to have four points at quarter time as the Wildcats trailed by six points.

He began the second quarter on the bench but then had a huge burst as the clock ticked towards half-time. Cotton had 16 points at the main break and the Taipans would have been worried that he’d been to the free throw line seven times.

All eyes were on the four-time NBL MVP to see what he’d do during the third quarter. He dominated with 15 points, including a shot on the buzzer to give his team an 18-point lead. The Wildcats scored 39 points for the quarter.

With 31 points on the board, the question was could Cotton score the nine points needed to create history?

You bet he could. He reached 39 points with about five minutes to play, giving him and the team time to ensure he had an opportunity to break through the 40-point barrier.

He missed his next attempt but hit the next shot, then nailed a three-pointer to make it 44 points.

Cotton’s tally included only three three-pointers as he showed off all of his other skills.

The superstar is out of contract at the end of the season and is certain to receive massive offers from all around the world.

It was a historic night for the Wildcats too as they produced their largest score in the 40-minute era.