Doolittle, JLA too much for Snakes in Perth

The Cairns Taipans fought valiantly but the Perth Wildcats just had too much on the line and Kristian Doolittle and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr combined to deliver 59 points and 13 rebounds in the 98-84 Friday night win at RAC Arena.

The Wildcats are locked over a battle to finish in the top four this season and avoid that first Play-In Game that looks like it will be against the Tasmania JackJumpers, and they moved back into fourth place after Friday night's win.

They were pushed all the way by the Snakes, though, including the visitors getting back within three late in the fourth quarter, but Doolittle and Lual-Acuil Jr ended up the difference as the 'Cats prevailed by 14 in front of 11,161 home fans.

The home side steadied and games record holding captain Jesse Wagstaff shut the gate when he wound back the clock with a spin through traffic and huge dunk in his 533rd appearance.

Doolittle put the finishing touches on the Wildcats' third-straight win with a late triple, taking his personal tally to a season-high 32 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists with 4/6 three-point shooting.

The result lifted Perth (19-11) above Melbourne United (18-11) into fourth spot in a tight race for best position in the finals.

Lual-Acuil Jr also had 27 points, six rebounds and two blocks on 12/17 shooting, and it was just the third time this season Doolittle and Lual-Acuil Jr had both scored 20-plus points.

The star pair combined for 34 points in the first half, helping the Wildcats to a 50-40 lead at the main break on the back of a big second period.

But Doolittle conceded in a broadcast interview that Cairns had played harder to that point, urging his teammates to lift their defensive intensity.

They struggled to shake the plucky Taipans, who did not lead after half-time but stayed within striking distance.

Andrew Andrews had a shot to tie the scores with less than four minutes left on the clock, but it rattled out and the Wildcats kept their noses in front to notch an important victory.

Ben Henshall also finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists for Perth with Dylan Windler contributing 11 points, 11 boards and three assists.

Cairns kept on fighting with point guard Andrew Andrews finishing with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds while Mojave King provided 21 points and eight boards, and Jack McVeigh 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.

It's the lone game of the weekend for the Wildcats who stay at home to host the Brisbane Bullets next Friday while the Taipans are straight over to Brisbane to play a Sunshine Stoush on Sunday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2025/26 – ROUND 20

PERTH WILDCATS 98 (Doolittle 32, Lual-Acuil Jr 27, Henshall 12)

CAIRNS TAIPANS 84 (Andrews 25, King 21, McVeigh 18)

BOX SCORE