KAI Sotto's long-awaited debut in the NBL in Australia ended in a blowout as the Adelaide 36ers suffered a 93-67 loss at the hands of hosts Cairns Taipans on Saturday at Cairns Convention Centre.
The Filipino wunderkind only played nine minutes and 50 seconds off the bench but registered one point, three rebounds, two assists, and two highlight blocks in his first professional game Down Under.
His presence, however, couldn't turn the tide for Adelaide, which fell behind, 31-20 early and eventually lost grip of the match as it trailed by as high as 40, 89-49, midway through the payoff period.
But the brief stint was not without its highlights as the 7-foot-3 prodigy served up a pair of blocks, including one on Cairns heavyweight Nathan Jawai.
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Majok Deng powered Cairns with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Stephen Zimmerman just missed out on a double-double with his 18 points, nine boards, and four assists.
Keanu Pinder added 15 points and five boards, as Tahjere Mccall got 13 points, nine assists, and five rebounds for the Taipans, who improved to 2-1.
Dusty Hannahs carried Adelaide (2-3) with 20 points, two rebounds, and two assists, while Daniel Johnson and Isaac Humphries had 12 points apiece in the loss.
The 36ers will now take a 10-day break before a grudge match against the Perth Wildcats on Dec. 28 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in what would be Sotto's first home game in the league.
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