Cotton: 'No way I was missing two game winners'

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Five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton has ice in his veins.

Cotton, 33, put the New Zealand Breakers playoffs hopes in the freezer, splashing the game-winning step-back three with one second left in overtime to propel the Adelaide 36ers to 112-110 NBL26 overtime win in New Zealand on Friday, January 23, 2026 at Spark Arena.

He had missed a runner to win the game in regulation with the score tied and 93-93 after the Breakers came back from 10 points down in a frenetic last three minutes.

"Mike (Wells) was asking me a million different questions about what guy I wanted to screen or if I wanted a screen," Cotton said of the final play.

"When they’re trying to figure out who’s coming in, my brain doesn’t work that way. I figure stuff out on the fly.

"Once I get the ball, I’m thinking I’ll figure it out as I’m in motion. Kenny (Matt Kenyon) comes in, sets a good screen, forces a switch, and I just thought to myself there’s no way I get two chances to win the game and not make one of them.

"It was my first game-winner with Adelaide.

"Those are the moments you live for. I was pretty upset with myself for missing the layup in regulation, so once we got the five-second violation, I thought to myself if I have two chances to win the game, one of them has to go in. That’s the standard I hold myself to."

It was the 33rd point of Cotton's night to go with nine assists, striking another blow in his quest for a sixth league MVP.

Breakers star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored 12 of his 21 points in last two minutes of regulation and overtime, knocking down two big threes to keep the Breakers in it.

"Grit. It’s really hard to win in this league," 36ers head coach Mike Wells said.

"In my former life in the NBA, there are wins you just get at the end of the year because teams are in the lottery. That doesn’t happen here. Everybody’s scrapping.

"Everybody’s trying to win. That’s why I came here. Every game is a real game.

"Yes, we need to fix getting up 10 and putting games away, but credit to Parker Jackson-Cartwright for hitting those shots and getting to the line.

"I think what we’ve done over and over on the road is find ways to win. These are playoff games now. That was a playoff game for New Zealand.

"It was a playoff game for us.

"I love our group. They’ve been super coachable. Sometimes I talk too much to Bryce about who’s going to screen, but a lot of times when I step in, they’ve already got it solved. That’s a credit to their maturity and how well they’ve come together."

The win ended a two-game slide for the 36ers, who moved to 20-6 with seven games to play while the Breakers margin for error in the fight for sixth, the final play-in spot became much harder. New Zealand is 10-17 with six games to play, chasing 12-15 Tasmania.

"They’re hungry," Cotton said.

"They’re fighting for their playoff life. That’s something we have to understand going forward. No matter who we’re playing, we’re going to get every team’s best shot because we’re the standard of the league.

"I’m happy we got the win, but the fact we were up 10 with about three minutes left and went into overtime, there are things we’ve got to look over.

"We had a similar moment the last time we played New Zealand. Happy we got the win, but it’s a positive learning on a winning note."

New Adelaide import John Jenkins has settled in quickly. He had 24 points on 9-from-15 from the field, including 6-from-11 from deep.

"He’s a true pro," Cotton said of the 34-year-old former NBA shooting guard.

"His movement with and without the ball is amazing, and we fed off that. He carried us in the first half and hit big shots late. Flynn (Cameron) hit big shots, DJ (Dejan Vasiljevic) hit big threes — that’s what it’s about.

"For John to have a game like this in just his second game with us is impressive, but not surprising."

But for Wells, it was all about Cotton in the post game press conference.

"It’s hard for me not to talk about the guy sitting beside me," Wells added.

"He makes everything go. He’s the MVP. He’s the best player in this league. We’re lucky to have him in Adelaide, and I’m lucky to coach him.

"When you have that much experience, he never wavers in what we’re doing. His communication with the players on the bench — where we were, what we wanted to run — even at the end there, to get to the last pick-and-roll, to get the switch, and to make the shot, that’s what Bryce Cotton does."

Key Details

• Round: 18
• Result: Adelaide 36ers 112 def. New Zealand Breakers 110
• When: Friday, January 23, 2026
• Where: Spark Arena, Auckland
• Attendance: 3,866
• Standings

Adelaide 36ers — Top 3 Performers

Bryce Cotton

• 41:59 MINS │ 33 PTS │ 11–21 FG │ 5–10 3PT │ 6–6 FT │ 5 REB │ 9 AST │ +1 │ EFF 36
  

John Jenkins

• 33:02 MINS │ 24 PTS │ 9–15 FG │ 6–11 3PT │ 3 REB │ 2 AST │ –14 │ EFF 18
  

Flynn Cameron

• 34:03 MINS │ 17 PTS │ 7–16 FG │ 3–7 3PT │ 4 REB │ 2 AST │ 2 STL │ +19 │ EFF 15
  

New Zealand Breakers — Top 3 Performers

Parker Jackson-Cartwright

• 36:48 MINS │ 21 PTS │ 8–16 FG │ 1–1 3PT │ 4–4 FT │ 2 REB │ 10 AST │ 4 STL │ +12 │ EFF 27
  

Sam Mennenga

• 35:47 MINS │ 20 PTS │ 9–13 FG │ 2–2 FT │ 12 REB │ 2 AST │ 1 STL │ 1 BLK │ –2 │ EFF 30
  

Karim Lopez

• 36:02 MINS │ 21 PTS │ 7–13 FG │ 1–4 3PT │ 6–10 FT │ 11 REB │ 2 AST │ +6 │ EFF 21
  

What Happened

The match began at a frenetic pace, setting the tone for what would become one of the most exciting contests of the NBL season. The first quarter saw both teams trading baskets, with Adelaide edging ahead 23-22 by the buzzer. The second period was just as tightly contested, as the 36ers extended their advantage to 48-44.

With 2:23 left in regulation, Adelaide looked in control, up 90–84 and defending well enough to think about closing. What followed was a momentum swing driven almost entirely by Parker Jackson-Cartwright.

Jackson-Cartwright scored on three straight possessions — a layup, a pull-up two, then a pull-up three — cutting the deficit from six to two in under two minutes. Each basket came without Adelaide forcing him away from the middle, and suddenly the Breakers were playing downhill while the 36ers were reacting.

Adelaide had chances to stop the run. Bryce Cotton missed a driving layup. Dejan Vasiljevic missed a three. Both were looks that could have pushed the lead back out, but neither dropped.

At 0:46, Jackson-Cartwright hit the biggest shot of regulation — a pull-up three that made it 93–91.

The Breakers Sam Mennenga, then came up with a big steal. Out of the timeout, The Breakers got exactly what it wanted: Mennenga had an easy dunk at 0:16 after Karim Lopez bumped new 36ers import John Jenkins out of the play to tie the game 93–93.

In the final possessions both teams missed at the rim, including Cotton's game-winning runner rimming out. Zylan Cheatham grabbed an offensive rebound but couldn’t convert the put-back.

In overtime, the Breakers again struck first. Jackson-Cartwright forced a turnover, scored through contact, and hit free throws. Every time Adelaide edged closer, New Zealand answered at the line or in the paint. The Breakers led most of the extra period and were still up four with 17 seconds left.

Then the game flipped on one possession.

Cotton found Flynn Cameron for a corner three to cut it to one. After a scramble and another turnover, Cotton isolated with the clock nearly gone. With one second left, he stepped back and made a three over a contest, putting Adelaide ahead for the first time in overtime.

New Zealand didn’t get another clean look. The steal that followed ended it.

Both teams shot the ball at a high level, with Adelaide hitting 51% from the field (42-from-82) and the Breakers at 53% (41-from-77).