Perth Wildcats vs Brisbane Bullets: Saturday Preview

Game Details
Perth Wildcats vs Brisbane Bullets
2.30pm WST Saturday 12 March @ Nissan Arena
Watch LIVE on ESPN – available via Kayo or Foxtel

Context
This will be the third and final meeting between the Perth Wildcats and the Brisbane Bullets this season. The two teams met on back-to-back occasions in Perth at the start of the season, with the two teams splitting the results. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, and the Wildcats now sit in second place while Brisbane have slipped to seventh on a 7-11 record. Perth will be looking for their first four-game win streak of the season, while Brisbane are 2-3 from their last five. The Wildcats will be playing their second last road game of the season, with a nine-game home stand looming.

Pre-game words
Mitch Norton on the quick turnaround between games
“We celebrated it (the win over Melbourne) in the locker room, and it’s over now. That has nothing to do with Brisbane coming up, so right now it’s onto Brisbane and staying locked in.”

Mitch Norton on Jason Cadee
“He’s playing really well. He’s thriving in that starting position, and I think he’s running the team pretty well as well, so it’s another challenge for us. Again, it’s not going to be one guy defending him, it’s going to be a team effort.”

Roster Availability 
No change expected from the team that defeated Melbourne on Friday. Kevin White, Matt Hodgson and Corey Shervill remain unavailable.

Opponents to watch out for
Brisbane will be without star guard Nathan Sobey, but in his absence, Jason Cadee has stepped up and leads the NBL in assists since Round 11. He scored 22 points against the Breakers last week and is shooting the three-ball at 42.9% over his last four games. During that time, his teammate Robert Franks has the best three-point clip in the league, going at 46.9% from 49 attempts.

Last time they met
It was way back in December, with the Wildcats bouncing back to win 83-70 at RAC Arena. Bryce Cotton scored 29 and Luke Travers had nine rebounds and four assists.

Fun Facts and Stats
The Perth Wildcats are the highest scoring team in the NBL at 89.5 per game, and the highest scoring road team at 89.0 per game. 
Perth lead the league in three-point makes (10.6) and also in three-point percentage at 34.9%, with Brisbane second on 33.8%.  
No team has scored 40 points in a quarter since the Wildcats posted 41-points at Nissan Arena last year in a fourth period which still stands as the Wildcats highest scoring quarter since the switch back to 40-minute games.

History
Saturday’s game will be the 101st meeting between Perth and Birsbane, with the Wildcats winning 61 of their first 100 clashes. Of their last 10 games, each team has come away with five wins. The Wildcats have only won one of their four games at Nissan Arena (15/5/21).
The Perth Wildcats first championship win came against the Brisbane Bullets (1990).