A late fightback from the Perth Wildcats masked a disappointing performance in their ugly 76-67 defeat away to Cairns on Friday night.

The Far North Queensland tourist town has become a graveyard in recent seasons for the Wildcats, who have now won just once from six visits there under coach Rob Beveridge.

Staring down the barrel of one of the lowest scores in club history, only a Kevin Lisch-inspired rally in the final two minutes saved the Wildcats from an embarrassing record.

They trailed by as much as 17 points in the final quarter but closed to within six with just under a minute to play before the Taipans steadied.

The loss, coupled with last week's defeat in New Zealand, marked the first time the Wildcats had lost successive games this season.

"We just can't score at the moment," Beveridge said.

"The amount of lay-ups and open shots that we're missing make you look at your offence and wonder if you need to change things, but we're just not knocking down shots.

"The guys spoke in the change room and said we've got to man up here, cop it on the chin and move on."

The Wildcats remain in second spot on the ladder despite third-placed Gold Coast's comfortable 84-72 win away to struggling Sydney, who visit Challenge Stadium next Sunday.

Beveridge said he would give his players time to rest ahead of the game against the Kings.

Cameron Tovey (hip), Shawn Redhage (ankle), Brad Robbins (wrist), Matt Knight (calf), Drew Williamson and Jesse Wagstaff (both shoulder) are all carrying niggling injuries.

"It's nothing to be too concerned about, but I think a few days will be fantastic for them and we'll be back to work on Tuesday," Beveridge said.

The Wildcats trailed Cairns by just three points, 29-26, at half-time despite registering their lowest first-half score of the season.

But as it did last week, the Wildcats' shooting completely deserted them in the third quarter.

They failed to score on their first seven possessions after half-time as Cairns piled on 14 straight points.

The Taipans led by 17 points midway through the third period before Tovey's three-pointer ended Perth's scoring drought.

Aside from a brief period in the final quarter, Cairns appeared comfortable in maintaining their advantage.

American guard Jamar Wilson led all scorers with 24 points for Cairns and former Wildcat Alex Loughton added 11, while Ian Crosswhite was at his imposing best with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Lisch top-scored for the Wildcats with 16 points and saw three teammates hit double figures.