“We live and die with it”: Trust drives Sixers’ turnaround

Bryce Cotton delivered the moment that mattered, but he was just as quick to shine the light on those around him.

The six-time MVP produced a match-winning performance to help the Adelaide 36ers level the Championship Series, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals, capped by a stunning left-handed buzzer-beater. It was a sharp response to his Game 1 outing in Sydney, where he was held to 10 points on 4/12 shooting in a 44-point defeat.

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But this time, it wasn’t a solo act.

Flynn Cameron, John Jenkins and Isaac Humphries all bounced back in a big way after quiet Game 1 performances. Cameron flipped the script from 1/8 shooting to 17 points, knocking down 4/7 from deep. Jenkins followed suit with 14 points on 4/8 from beyond the arc, while Humphries anchored the interior with six points, eight rebounds and six blocks in just 20 minutes.

Cotton made it clear post-game that trust in his teammates never wavered.

"At the end of the day I say to every guy in the locker room that at this point in the season everyone has proven their value on the team, and whatever they do we live and die with it," Cotton said.

"If they have a night where Flynn shoots 4/7, we're living with and if we have a night where he shoots 0/10, we're living with that because at the end of the day that's what basketball is where you're going to have ups and downs.

"It's always going to even out to the player that you are and at this point, people just have to be true to who they are and that's what Flynn did to find his rhythm, and we know what John can do as well."

After a record loss just days earlier, Adelaide’s response was immediate and emphatic. Cotton led it, but this time, he had plenty of help.

"It was just a matter of time before he found his rhythm again and he took advantage of his opportunity and in 18 minutes, to have 14 points with four threes and that's incredible while being solid defensively as well," Cotton said of Jenkins' game.

"John is a guy who has a resume where he's been there and done that everywhere around the world including the NBA so this is not his first rodeo being on stages like this.

"Also my fault ... Ice having six blocks in 20 minutes is crazy."

Cotton’s praise didn’t stop there, with coach Mike Wells backing in the all-round team effort.

While the game-winner grabbed the headlines, Wells pointed to the work done inside, particularly against Sydney’s frontcourt of Tim Soares and Xavier Cooks.

Humphries’ work set the tone defensively, but he wasn’t alone.

Zylan Cheatham delivered across the board with seven points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Nick Rakocevic added seven points, nine rebounds and three assists, including the crucial tip that set up Cotton’s buzzer-beater.

"I want to shout out Ice's second half, Ice was really, really good in the second half with six blocks and eight rebounds and he was in there and really effecting KD, and I thought his second half was really key in anchoring us," Wells said.

"I think we're really, really good when we're big right and I've talked about the talented bigs that we have with Z, Ice and Nick, and there's combinations for them and they (Sydney) stayed big a lot longer in this game meaning that Cooks played way more and Soares played more.

"They made a line-up change to be honest with you which was interesting for us and we were kinda going back and forward with it trying to figure out who's trying to play well right in the moment.

"In the end, I thought Ice was exceptional, there were moments that Z was exceptional and I thought Nick did what Nick does at times and no matter what he does, he gets that hand on the last ball to tip it out (to Cotton)."

Game 3 tips off on Sunday at 2:30pm AEDT at Qudos Bank Arena, live on ESPN and 10.