“Not playing for stats”: the unselfish attitude driving Cotton, Sixers

Bryce Cotton has credited the unselfish attitude amongst the Adelaide 36ers group for the club’s strong start to the season.

Cotton hit a club record 53 points as the side recorded its fifth win in six games so far this season on Saturday evening.

Flynn Cameron was the only other player to reach double figures in Saturday’s 91-86 win over Cairns, prompting some commentators to question the Sixers’ championship credentials.

But Cotton says the side has a number of scoring options and is benefitting from a team-first mentality – highlighted by the way the side celebrated his performance.

“The way I see it, because we have so many weapons, it's just that sometimes it's going to be other players' nights and then other nights it may be yours, but no game stays the same forever,” he said during an interview with ABC Grandstand.

“(In) the Sydney game, I couldn't hit a shot and, you know, a couple of other guys stepped up like Flynn (Cameron).

“That's the beauty of our team because none of us are selfish and playing for stats.

“That's what makes it fun, and everybody can enjoy whoever's hot on the night.”

Asked if he felt the side was constantly looking to give him the ball against the Taipans, Cotton conceded that may have been the case.

However, the 33-year-old could never be seen as selfish given he still tallied five assists.

“We just did a good job of flowing offensively,” Cotton said.

“I think at certain parts of the game, (the side was probably looking for me) but I wanted to be sure I wasn't just taking bad shots.

“Like, if I saw somebody open, I wanted to still make the right play and, you know, play the game the way it's supposed to be played.”

The Sixers were making their second trip to Cairns in just 16 days and were pleased to come away with a second win.

The first trip on October 2 saw them win by 31 points, and Head Coach Mike Wells made sure that off a two day break and long journey to Cairns, his side knew it would not be as easy.

“You're never going to blow out a team two times in a row, especially in a close proximity,” Cotton explained.

“We expected it to be a tougher game, but, man, talk about tough.

“Going into the game, coach talked about how important it is to win games on the road, and we knew it was going to be a danger game whenever teams are missing a couple pieces, especially the best player (Jack McVeigh).

“They come out with a nothing to lose mentality and they came out swinging and they really made us basically earn our money.”

The victory has set up a top of the table clash between the 5-1 Sixers and the unbeaten Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Sunday.

“Melbourne's obviously been playing terrific to start the season so it's going to be a good test for us,” Cotton said.

“We're two teams that have started the season extremely well, and it's going to be a good measuring stick for both of us to see where we're at at this point in the season.”

The Adelaide 36ers will face Melbourne United from 2:00pm ACDT on Sunday.