Basketball On The Internet.

BRYCE Cotton today played traffic warden, guiding the Wildcats past Sydney's potentially dangerous streets while in Cairns, Aron Baynes fully embraced his villainous image, burying a 3-point back-breaker that consolidated Brisbane into the post-season, leaving the Taipans to rue their lost yo-yo year. 

With its record at 11-13, Cairns has left itself zero margin for error over its last four games of the regular season, Brisbane now at 12-12 and staring at homecourt for the crucial "play-in" start to the playoffs.

Dropping at home, the Kings slipped to 11-12, their fate still very much in their own hands, Perth on 15-7 now within one win of first-placed Melbourne on 16-6, United also with a slight percentage edge.

IN Sydney, Cotton, en route to an almost routine 29-point, two-rebound, three-assist, four-steal stat line, started Perth rolling with an 11-point first period that created a stunning 34-20 buffer.

Tai Webster enjoyed a 12-point first half, hitting his first five shots, including two 3-pointers and Jordan Usher had a game, scoring 24 points at 67 per cent, with four rebounds, five assists and a steal.

Jaylen Adams (29 points at 50 per cent) worked hard to keep the Kings in the game but it was unheralded Makuach Maluach who changed Sydney's fortunes in the second quarter.

Teaming with an active Denzel Valentine (six rebounds, four offensive, eight assists), Maluach dragged Sydney back into the contest and before halftime it even had tasted the lead, Hyrum Harris restoring order for Perth, up 58-57 at halftime.

Sydney's 37-point second quarter was among its very best of the season and really came out of nowhere. The Kings continued to keep pace with Perth in the third quarter, pushing their noses in front a couple of times.

But as the Wildcats threatened to bolt away in the last, Sydney hung tough, Jordie Hunter wearing a few bruises as he compiled a 15-point (at 56 per cent), 12-rebound, 2-block afternoon.

Adams' jumper tied it at 92-92 with 2:37 left. Cotton immediately erased it with a 3-point swish, then Adams pulled up at the top of the key to tie it again with a 3-point dazzler of his own.

Inside the last two minutes, Harris again broke the deadlock with the third threeball in the sequence, Kristian Doolittle's free throws giving Perth back a buffer.

It was a fruitless but exciting chase from there, the Wildcats' sixth straight win bringing them breathing down a faltering United's back.  

PERTH WILDCATS 104 (Cotton 29, Usher 24, T.Webster 16, Pinder 10; Doolittle 7 rebs; T.Webster, Usher 5 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 98 (Adams 29, Maluach 18, Hunter 15, Valentine 10; Hunter 12 rebs; Valentine 8 assts) at Qudos Bank Arena. Crowd: 13,138

BRISBANE drew a season-best game from Tyrell Harrison as it rocked Cairns' finals hopes with a 102-84 road win as comfortable as the scoreline looks.

Harrison was a focus as the Bullets jumped 26-17 clear by the close of the first quarter, then went on a 35-23 second quarter rampage, only Bul Kuol offering consistent resistance.

Still down Sam Waardenburg, Bobi Klintman and Jonah Antonio, the Taipans never led and fell behind by as many as 21 points.

Cairns suffered inside where Harrison concluded the day with 16 points at 63 per cent, plus 13 rebounds and a couple of steals.

Bullets coach Justin Schueller also utilised veteran warrior and currently Cairns' public enemy No.1, Aron Baynes, particularly efficiently.

Baynes' 15 points at a shade under 15 minutes, came at 67 per cent and were accompanied by eight rebounds and a block.

As is their way and showing a fighting spirit they shouldn't have to wait half a game to find, the Taipans slithered back, pruning a devastating 40-61 halftime deficit in the third quarter.

Akoldah Gak swished a 3-pointer, then made a layup and Tajhere McCall added a further bucket to bring Cairns from 42-63 to 49-63.

But 3:54 from the end of the third, Lat Mayen, who famously tangled with Baynes in their first meeting in Brisbane, again became entangled with the Bullets behemoth.

This time Mayen kept Baynes' arm unnecessarily tangled and the big man threw him to the floor in a flinging action to release his arm. It excited everyone for a minute or two, the refs shockingly getting it right and correctly assessing nothing more than a double-foul.

It shifted momentum though and when Nathan Sobey fed Mitch Norton for a layup to close the third, Brisbane was back to 79-62 clear.

Sam Mennenga's triple started another Cairns last quarter revival, Pat Miller joining in, his three-point play bringing the Orange to 71-81, the excitement spreading.

That was when the Taipans' favourite villain stepped up, knocking down an ungainly but effective 3-pointer from the top of the key, Baynes' triple making it 84-71, the Snakes cooked.

Baskets by Chris Smith and Casey Prather put this well out of Cairns' reach, McCall tossed out with another technical foul as local frustrations overflowed, Baynes still with time to stick another ugly "salt-in-the-wounds" three, clearly relishing his "bad boy" role.

BRISBANE BULLETS 102 (Sobey 18, Harrison 16, Baynes 15, McDaniel 14, Smith 11; Harrison 13 rebs; Sobey 5 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 84 (Kuol 19, Miller 14, McCall 13, Gak 11; McCall 6 rebs; Miller 5 assts) at Cairns Convention Centre. Crowd: 4,601