Perth Wildcats shoot themselves in the foot with missed free throws on Brisbane Bullets Over-Time thriller
Perth Wildcats have paid a high price for a horror night at the free throw line, handing the struggling Brisbane Bullets a 97-93 overtime win at Nissan Arena.
The Wildcats only have themselves to blame for the loss after missing 18 free throws throughout the night.
That included seven in the fourth quarter and four during overtime.
Even superstar Bryce Cotton was off target, missing four free throws for the night. He’d shot at 94 per cent from the charity stripe for the season.
TaShawn Thomas missed five and Corey Webster missed six in a horror night for the Wildcats. The inability to convert those shots was the difference between winning and losing.
They were off target from three-point range too, making only seven of 25 attempts and Luke Travers bolstered those figures with four.
It was the second time in a row that the Bullets had beaten Perth in overtime. They won the bonus period 14-3 last time.
Webster had the chance to send the game to double overtime but missed a shot late and then Perth send Brisbane to the free throw line to close it out.
The Wildcats entered the match hoping to continue Brisbane’s terrible season and knowing a win could lift them into the top four.
The Bullets had won only four games for the season and they’d been coached by three men as the season fell apart.
They led by 13 points with five minutes remaining before losing their way. Cotton had the chance to win the game in the dying stages of regular time but missed a contested shot. At that point it looked like the Wildcats were set to produce another miraculous come from behind victory to go with their performance against Melbourne.
Cotton led the way with 30 points and six assists, Webster scored 16 and both Travers and Thomas produced 15. Brady Manek failed to score.
Nathan Sobey was superb for Brisbane with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Aron Baynes had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Playing his first match since the Bullets beat Perth on December 1, Tanner Krebs was influential for the home team with 15 points He showed no signs of the ankle injury which has kept him sidelined, scored the opening basket of the game and put Brisbane in front with a three-pointer on the half-time buzzer.
The Wildcats were enjoying a mid-season rejuvenation after winning four games in a row.
But they have now lost their last two matches against the struggling Bullets in moments which could prove costly at the end of the season.
They will now travel to New South Wales for a New Year’s Eve game against last-placed Illawarra.
Perth won the rebounding battle to continue that improvement in their game but committed 15 turnovers.
Sobey said it was a massive win for his team as injured players returned and they were finally rewarded for their hard work throughout off court instability.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks with a few changes and a few losses. To be able to get a win was great for us,” he said.
“Our mindset now is to go to Adelaide and get another win. We’re starting to get everyone back together.”
