Basketball On The Internet.

AMID the self-evident emotional turmoil Bryce Cotton last night was experiencing while leading Adelaide to a 12-point win over defending NBL champion Illawarra was the reinforcement of his greatness, setting a new career-high in assists (13) to go with a game-high 31 points and two steals.

Whatever the cause of his turmoil, angst and at times despair - and the club maintaining it was nausea is completely disingenuous given Cotton's post-game remarks - it is no-one's business but his own and his own to share or not.

The fact is he was going through something but sticking 6-of-10 threes speaks volumes to his grit, professionalism and commitment to his new 36ers club.

Playing 36 minutes without a turnover only further reinforces that when he is fully focused, he is unshakeable and exactly the man to lead a team to the Promised Land.

But well before that occurs, Adelaide's coach Mike Wells has to work out his rotations because when Matt Kenyon is playing 12:08 minutes and Flynn Cameron reduced to 13:26, Isaac White being afforded 23:20 while co-captain Dejan Vasiljevic sees 21:17 of daylight, he is getting it seriously wrong.

Troy Brown Jr getting less than half a game? That's how you run him into form? Nick Rakocevic 11:47? Some of Wells' decision-making was impossible to follow logically.

While he was busy "exploring his options", Illawarra stayed in the game, even despite some more of the odd and bordering-on-selfish plays by Tyler Harvey (21 points at 42 per cent, two rebounds, an assist and two turnovers in 31 minutes), and just about every 36er looking to test his minimal lateral defensive commitment. 

Javale McGee (12 points on 4-of-18 shooting, 10 boards, 4 blocks) appeared susceptible to the frustrations of the Hawks' offensive and the officials' general inadequacies, while Davo Hickey's five turnovers undermined his 12-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist return.

Elevated to a starter's role in Illawarra's three-guard experiment, QJ Peterson shot the lights out in the first half and his 19-point haul included 5-of-7 threes.

But the further this went, the further Illawarra regressed from a first half full of promise, Adelaide seizing full advantage through Cotton and his willing accomplice Isaac Humphries.

Their combination was a joy to behold, Humphries finishing with 22 points at 69 per cent, 9 boards, a steal and a block, their understanding continuing to evolve.

"I was dealing with a lot," Cotton revealed in a radio interview. "I was able to channel my energy and focus on staying in the game and giving it all I got.

"Last thing I wanted to do, despite what I was going through is come out (of the game) and we end up losing. That would have really bothered me.

"If we were going to strike out, I wanted to strike out swinging at least.

"(I was brought up that) no matter the things that you face or what you're dealing with, you don't run from it.

"I've always played this game from my heart, and I wanted to be sure, even through everything I was feeling, that I didn't let my teammates down and still be effective.

"I'm one of those guys when I'm struggling, and then you show me some support, that makes me almost more emotional.

"One of the coaches pulled me aside, and he said a quick prayer with me, and it just made me lose it all over again. It meant the world to me for him to pray for me in that moment."

Trust this. People rarely pray about feeling nauseous.

Round 10

Adelaide 36ers 97 (Cotton 31, Humphries 22, Cheatham 12, Cameron 11; Humphries 9 rebs; Cotton 13 assts) d Illawarra Hawks 85 (Harvey 21, Peterson 19, Hickey, McGee 12; McGee 10 rebs; Hickey 7 assts) at Brett Maher Court, Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 9,964 Q-Q: 21-22, 23-27, 27-15, 26-21. Ignite Cup Pts: Adelaide 5, Illawarra 2