TOM Jervis had a career night as Perth’s bench unit helped the Wildcats overcome a stalled opening to overpower Sydney 95-81 and wrap up a top-two berth on Friday night.

Already missing star import Casey Prather to hamstring tightness, Perth’s starting five coughed up an 11-0 start and was promptly benched by coach Trevor Gleeson within the game’s opening two minutes.

But a fine all-round performance from Jervis and Jesse Wagstaff’s 23-point contribution saved Perth’s blushes against a slumping and undermanned Kings outfit.

A day after his 29th birthday, Jervis cashed in on a rare chance for big minutes with a career-best 23 points and 13 rebounds.

He added six assists and a pair of blocks in a deserved performance after toiling efficiently behind Matt Knight and Nate Jawai in Perth’s frontcourt rotation this season.

Wagstaff connected on five of eight three-point attempts to go with his nine boards and provided plenty of second-chance opportunities.

Shawn Redhage chipped in with 16 points in 17 minutes to help offset a scoreless night from Jermaine Beal, who attempted just one shot.

Camera Icon Perth's Jesse Wagstaff gets past Sydney's Josh Childress. Credit: News Corp Australia

Josh Childress overcame his quiet trip to WA last month with a game-high 30, while Angus Brandt had 16 and seven boards.

Perth coach Trevor Gleeson praised his “outstanding” bench for outscoring Sydney’s reserves 59-9.

“They came in at a difficult time, 11 down, and exploded,” Gleeson said.

“(Jervis) has been playing great all year. His opportunity was in front of him and he grabbed it with both hands.

“We didn’t play at the level required (to start) – we were lazy.

“The bench guys played at the intensity level required. We didn’t have that from the first group.”

Gleeson said he had no immediate answer for why Beal was a non-factor.

“I’ve never seen him like that before. We’ll find out a reason this week I guess,” Gleeson said.

“He should be at the peak of knowing this league and being a leader out there.”

Already languishing at the foot of the table, Sydney was dealt a double blow before tip-off with the scratchings of Tom Garlepp (food poisoning) and Jeromie Hill (knee).

But a flawless opening spurt — including dunks from Brandt and Marcus Thornton — hushed the home crowd.

A pair of threes from Wagstaff and the dominant inside presence of Jervis helped the Cats get back on track, while an unlikely playmaking cameo from development player Corban Wroe was also important.

Before Sydney knew what had hit it, Perth’s reserves had dragged the side back within a solitary point at the first break.

Jervis followed up his 10-point first term with a superb spell at both ends after halftime.

The third-year pro came up with a big swat of a Thornton lay-up attempt, then followed up with a two-handed flush at the other end and added a neat feed for a Wagstaff lay-in to get Perth rolling.

Wagstaff then rekindled memories of his game-winning performance against the Kings in Sydney earlier this season by dropping nine final-term points to continue his strong lead-in to the playoffs.

Perth (17-9) can only finish top and ensure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs if it wins games against Sydney (away) and Adelaide (home), and ladder leader Melbourne loses twice to New Zealand.

Follow Chris Robinson on Twitter: @CJKRobinson