On a night when the game itself was a mere sideshow to an emotional goodbye, Perth Wildcats champion Ricky Grace led his team to an 108-97 National Basketball League win over New Zealand in front of a sell-out home crowd.

With Perth already guaranteed seventh place on the ladder and a Thursday sudden-death final against the Tigers in Melbourne, this last match of the regular season was, to many, merely a stage for Grace's send-off.

Accompanied by a cloud of red, white and black balloons and a stirring rendition of 'Amazing Grace', the Wildcats' greatest player and 481-game veteran was feted by fans and team members after the final whistle.

The Wildcats may yet return to Perth for a semi-final, meaning Grace would have one last chance to perform in front of a home crowd before retirement, but they would need to survive the Melbourne match and another playoff two days later.

Described by former player and owner Andrew Vlahov as "the heart and soul of the Cats", the 38-year-old guard thanked his fans and teammates for 16 seasons at the club.

Tired after their third game in five days, the Wildcats struggled to put away last-placed New Zealand although they were never headed in the second half.

The Wildcats held a 64-51 halftime lead, having pulled away in the second stanza with increased input from Peter Crawford and Rosell Ellis.

Shooting at 54 per cent accuracy from the floor, the Wildcats simply had too many options for the undermanned Kiwis to cover and provided smothering defence at the other end of the floor.

New Zealand had earned a one point first quarter lead almost purely due to the effort of Mike Chappell, who evaded defenders on virtually every play and scored 15 points.

The Wildcats never looked like they would fall away, but took some time before warming to the contest.

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