Cotton last season scored a career-high 59 points - and 100 points across two games - against the Breakers with the Perth Wildcats and led the 36ers over the Breakers earlier this season.
He didn’t miss another opportunity to leave his mark on the New Zealand team when presented with it, after the Breakers, holding a one-point lead with 10 seconds to play, turned the ball over. Cotton struck, putting the Breakers’ hopes of mounting a playoff charge on shaky ground.
With six games left in the regular season, the Breakers sit two wins outside the top six with a 10-17 record.
They will also be without star big man Sam Mennenga for six to eight weeks after he fractured his wrist late in the loss to Adelaide, while forward Max Darling was set to be evaluated for a knee injury.
The new issues come after import forward Rob Baker II was ruled out for the rest of the season earlier in the week due to a ruptured ACL.
“The club will evaluate its roster options over the coming days. Although NBL rules restrict the signing of replacements at this point in the season, we remain 100% focused on winning and will continue to fight with the squad we have,” club owner and chairman Marc Mitchell said.
The loss to Adelaide was a disappointing result for the home side in arguably their best performance of the season. In a pulsating game that saw 37 lead changes, the Breakers appeared to be out of contention when they trailed by 10 points with three minutes remaining in regulation.
However, Breakers import point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored nine points in the closing minutes to lock the scores at 93 and force overtime, before the 36ers were able to sneak away with the win.
Cotton finished with a game-high 33 points, while guards John Jenkins and Flynn Cameron added 24 and 17 points respectively.
The Breakers got plenty of production throughout the roster, which was particularly impressive given they had played in Melbourne less than 48 hours earlier.
Three players produced double-doubles for the home team; Jackson-Cartwright (21 points and 10 assists), Karim López (21 points and 11 rebounds), and Mennenga (20 points and 12 rebounds), while Izaiah Brockington scored 21 and as team the Breakers shot 57% from deep.
The team will now prepare for their next assignment on January 30 against Melbourne United at Spark Arena, where Tom Abercrombie’s No 10 jersey will be retired.
New Zealand Breakers 110 (Parker Jackson-Cartwright 21 points, 10 assists; Karim López 21 points, 11 rebounds; Izaiah Brockington 21 points; Sam Mennenga 20 points, 12 rebounds).
Adelaide 36ers 112 (Bryce Cotton 33 points; John Jenkins 24 points; Flynn Cameron 17 points; Zylan Cheatham 12 points and 11 rebounds).
